Into the Psyche 3 - Origins
by Black Raider
Summary: A search for answers leads to a desperate situation, which leads to the most exciting adventure of Sky's life. Friendships will be tested, and it'll take the combined powers of Sky, Harley, and Katherine to find the truth. If all goes well, the ones who were lost will finally return. Third and final installment of the "Into the Psyche" series!
1. A Leap of Faith

**A/N: I know some of you have been waiting patiently for this. I almost didn't go through with because the storyline came across as stupid and nonsensical in a bad way. But I must credit LivvyLeopard for kicking my tail into gear. I said I would make a third installment, and so I will finish it! Besides, it will be a nice prequel for when I put Harley into** _ **Cars 3.**_ **Because, come on, you know I was going to do that anyway.**

 **So here's the first chapter, and I'll be working on in simultaneously with my Trolls story. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter One – A Leap of Faith**

The air whooshed past Sky's ears and made her hair fly behind her like a pitch-black torch. With her flight goggles protecting her eyes from wind and dust, she could focus on the flight path of the race she and Dusty competed in. Dusty kept his speed up and his turns smooth.

"We're coming up on the canyon again, Sky." Dusty said over the radio.

"Roger that, Dust Storm." Sky said. "Let's finish this."

This was a cross-country flight race in Arizona, and if they could keep up their speed and agility, it would be another win in their undefeated season. They would be leaving for fire season at Piston Peak soon, which means less time for races during the rest of the racing season. Dusty and Sky both agreed they wanted to finish the entire season strong, especially since they would soon have to devote most of their time to work at Piston Peak. This racecourse used a canyon as a natural obstacle course, making it even harder for the racers. Luckily for Dusty and Sky, they had plenty of practice with agility.

"Okay, here we go!" Dusty announced. He dove down into the canyon, Sky looking back to see who trailed behind them. They left most of the competition in the dust except for a couple planes that weren't too far behind. One in particular—a Mustang hybrid that looked like Ripslinger, but thinner—had been on their tails since the race started. This racer, Jacob Blackwood, seemed determined to break Dusty and Sky of their winning streak.

"Blackwood's on our tail, Dusty." Sky announced.

"And that's where he'll stay." Dusty assured. "Just hang on tight!"

"As always." Sky muttered.

"Heard that." Dusty said. Sky chuckled, readjusting her positioning to better move with Dusty's turns. This was no different than the grain silos or Augerin Canyon. Dusty and Sky weaved their way through stone columns and did perfect radial-G turns to get their speed up. Blackwood wasn't far behind. But unless he could magically gain some speed once they exited the canyon, he would never win. There was only a short distance between the exit of the canyon and the finish line. This race was in the bag for Dusty and Sky.

"Okay, we're coming up on the last section of the canyon!" Dusty announced. "Keep an eye on Blackwood."

"You got it." Sky nodded.

Dusty kept his eyes ahead. There was a large gap in the canyon that had no column or arches or anything. A clear space where speed was key. Still, if Blackwood was at his top speed and still hadn't been able to catch up, he wouldn't this time either.

In three…two…..one…..

Dusty and Sky shot out into the open air. Canyon walls flanked them on either side. Rock columns jutted up from the canyon floor, all of them too close and not tall enough to be part of the obstacle course. They only had a few more obstacles after this stretch of clear space, and then they would win.

Sky looked back, and did a perfect double-take. "Uh, Dusty?"

"What's up?" Dusty asked.

"We got a problem!"

"What kind of problem?"

"The problem where Blackwood is on our six and coming up fast!"

"What?!" Dusty gawked a little. "That's impossible! He's been at his top speed the entire race and hasn't gotten close!"

"Well he's getting close now!" Sky said. "Go down!"

"I can't!" Dusty said. "The rocks are too close. But don't worry. He'll just fly over us."

Sky looked back again. "Dusty, he's not moving. He's coming straight at us!"

Dusty angled his mirror back to look behind him. Blackwood was indeed coming up fast, and he wasn't moving in the slightest. "Uh, then I'll fly up!"

"No!" Sky ordered. "He'll crash into us! At his speed and trajectory now, he'll mostly miss us."

"Mostly?" Dusty repeated.

"Well, he might hit me." Sky admitted. Blackwood was almost upon them now. Sky thought quickly. They couldn't go down or the rocks would get them. They couldn't go up because Blackwood would smash into them. If Dusty stayed at his level now, Blackwood would miss Dusty but hit Sky's head.

"I'll slow down and go down as far as I can." Dusty suggested.

"No, you stay right where you are!" Sky ordered as she unclipped her harness from the handlebar. "I'm going up."

"What?!" Dusty shouted. "What are you talking about?"

"Stay where you are, and I'll jump up and over his wing!" Sky explained quickly.

"No!" Dusty protested. "Absolutely not! Don't even think about it!"

"Dusty, just stay at this speed and level!"

"Don't you dare!"

"Ready?"

"No!"

"Now!"

"Sky!"

Too late. Just before Blackwood's propeller reached Dusty's tail, Sky pulled her feet in to push off Dusty's back. She did a perfect backflip as Blackwood's wing passed under her, narrowly missing Dusty's canopy. Sky turned and prepared to grab the handlebar on Dusty's back.

But Dusty had slowed down, in fear of Sky missing him when she landed. So instead of landing in her usual seat, Sky landed right on Dusty's canopy. She wrapped her arms around Dusty's cockpit, her legs pushing against the handlebar to keep herself from flying off.

"Dusty!" Sky complained. "Are you crazy?"

"You're the one who's crazy!" Dusty snapped. "Get your hands out of my eyes!"

"And fall off?" Sky snapped back. "You _are_ crazy!"

"I can't see!" Dusty cried. He already had one eye closed and could barely see out of his other eye.

Sky looked up. Blackwood was apparently so out of control that he had to shoot up and over other the obstacles instead of going through them. Sky smelled something in the smoke Blackwood trailed, and she knew at once Blackwood used some sort of racing fuel additive. He cheated! But she and Dusty had bigger problems: the next couple obstacles coming up, the first being an archway.

"Dusty, go down!" Sky ordered.

"What?" Dusty demanded, still unable to really see anything.

"Now!" Sky jumped again with as much force as she could. Dusty, when he saw they headed right for the stone archway, yelped and dipped down to go under the archway. Sky moved her legs like she was running, but only touched the stone archway twice before she hit open air again. Dusty appeared underneath her, and this time Sky landed right where she was supposed to. Her tailbone hurt now, but her feet hit the stirrups and she could bend her legs to soften her fall.

"You okay?" Dusty called.

Sky hooked herself back onto the handlebar. "Yeah I am! Let's finish this!"

Dusty shot forward and completed the course. He exited the canyon and saw Blackwood still struggling to gain control. He already lost by leaving the canyon, which disqualified the racer before the officials would ever find out he used illegal fuel. So Dusty just kept going and crossed the finish line for an easy win. The crowd cheered wildly as Dusty landed. Sky unbuckled herself and stood on Dusty's wing, punching the air in victory. Dusty put on a smile and waved a wing to the crowd. He cast a look to Sky, quickly checking her over for injuries. But she seemed to be okay for someone who just did a death-defying stunt. A stunt that Dusty _did not_ agree with in the least.

Luckily, Skipper seemed to be on his side. When Dusty and Sky met up with their racing crew after chatting with the press, Skipper and Sparky looked beyond worried about Sky. She assured them she was okay, though, and they actually backed off. Chug even complimented Sky on the amazing move, and Dottie agreed that Dusty wasn't damaged like he would've been if he had tried to move up or down to avoid Blackwood.

"That was still incredibly dangerous, young lady." Skipper scolded his surrogate daughter.

"It's not like I do it every race." Sky shrugged.

Skipper rolled his eyes. Sparky laughed. "Well, why don't we go celebrate your victory? Let's go have dinner!"

Sky laughed and agreed. Dusty watched her closely as they journeyed to a restaurant downtown. Sky was her normal, cheery self, like she didn't just do something that might've caused her serious injury. It made Dusty more and more anxious the more he thought about it.

 _Doesn't she realize she almost got herself killed?_ Dusty thought as they ate dinner. _She could've been hurt! Didn't she take that into account when she thought of that crazy idea?_

Sky didn't really notice the looks Dusty cast towards her. But she did notice how quiet he was. She chalked it up to tiredness from the race. When Dusty still didn't talk to her after they got home to Propwash Junction, she started getting worried.

Skipper noticed. "Something wrong, sweetheart?"

Sky, sitting on her bed and reading a book, only shrugged. "Not really."

"You've been awfully quiet." Skipper noted. "What's wrong? You had a great win a few days ago and you're about to go to one of your favorite places in the world. I would think you'd be more excited."

Sky shut her book and sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Dad."

Skipper stared at his daughter for a moment, and then gestured for her to come closer. "Come here."

Sky knew at once what he wanted, and she dutifully marched over and put her hand on Skipper's wing. Hers and Skipper's eyes turned snow-white, and she let Skipper explore her mind. Since finding their Soul Connection, talks became much easier between the two. Whenever Sky tried to hide something or couldn't really put into words what was wrong with her, she and Skipper would have what they called a "Mind Share Session." It would allow them to explore each other's thoughts and figure out how to approach the problem of the person whose mind is being read.

After a minute, Skipper broke the connection and Sky stepped back. "Something going on between you and Dusty?" Skipper asked.

"Well, he hasn't really spoken to me since the race." Sky said. "I think he might be hurt and hasn't told Dottie yet."

"That's not good." Skipper muttered anxiously. "Blade especially won't be happy if we send you guys to him damaged. You need to be in proper, working health to finish off fire season."

"But what if I'm just worried about nothing?" Sky asked. "I don't want him to think I'm freaking out over nothing."

"It would be better to ask and find out for sure." Skipper said. "He's doing some scouting for spot fires with Mayday right now."

"Then I'll go wait at the fire station for him." Sky announced. "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime." Skipper nodded. Sky jogged from the hanger and towards Mayday's fire house. She only hoped she was wrong and Dusty wasn't injured in any way.

* * *

Dusty flew high above the treetops, scanning the area for spot fires like Blade taught him. Mayday drove around the different roads around Propwash Junction, especially around the farmlands. Spot fire scouting was crucial for firefighting. Sky almost always stayed back at the fire station, or at the very least in town. That way, if a fire happened while Mayday and Dusty were out, she could give them a call.

But that wasn't the only reason Dusty wanted Sky to stay behind this time.

" _Hey Dusty!"_ Mayday's voice over the radio broke Dusty of his concentration. _"Just finished my run. When you're done, head back to the fire station."_

"Roger that, Boss." Dusty said. "Am I dismissed for the day? Because Skipper wants to put some practice hours in before I leave for Piston Peak."

" _Actually, I want to talk to you when we get back."_ Mayday said.

Dusty blinked in confusion. "Uh, okay. Roger that." Something about Mayday's tone set Dusty on edge. Mayday was a kind old truck, but he had a toughness about him that came from years of firefighting. Dusty never saw Mayday truly angry, and he didn't want to. This time, Mayday sounded stern, almost disappointed. Dusty didn't like the sound of that.

So when he landed and taxied his way over to the firehouse, his anxiousness rose at the sight of Mayday's unreadable expression. Unreadable usually means bad news.

"Hey there, Dusty." Mayday greeted. "Come on in. Let's talk."

"About what?" Dusty asked nervously. Did he do something wrong?

Mayday herded Dusty inside and shut the garage door. "You've been acting strangely since you got back from your race in Arizona. You're anxious and frustrated, and you haven't been talking much."

"I don't recall being much of a chatterbox in the first place." Dusty forced a chuckle.

"But your level of silence means you're hiding something." Mayday explained. "Something is bothering you."

"What? No. It's nothing." Dusty denied. Mayday stared at him, and Dusty shifted nervously. "Well, I mean, it's nothing you need to worry about."

"Distraction can kill when working as a firefighter, Dusty." Mayday said. "I had to learn that the hard way, and I got the scar to prove it. Any problems need to be cleared up now. So start talking or I'm bringing in Skipper the professional interrogator."

Dusty didn't want that. "It's Sky."

"What about her?" Mayday asked.

"You watched our race, didn't you? Did you see the stunt she pulled?" Dusty said.

"You kidding? That's all Chug has been talking about the last couple days." Mayday scoffed. "Saw the race myself, and it was quite a move."

"Yeah, a move that could've gotten her killed." Dusty said, his frustration finally showing. "I told her 'no, don't do it.' And what does she do? She just does it! Without any regard to her own safety."

"So you're mad at her." Mayday guessed.

"Yes I'm mad at her!" Dusty said. "She could've been hurt or killed! But she didn't even consider that as she did it! There were options we could've taken that were safer, and she chose the option that nearly got her killed! So, yes, I am actually very angry with her!"

A furious knocking at the door made them pause, and Mayday went to answer the door. He opened the garage, and an irritated Sky stood on the other side. Mayday grinned cheekily while Dusty looked mortified.

"I hear someone's angry with me." Sky said, her arms crossed and her foot tapping.

"I'll leave you two to talk." Mayday said as he drove off.

"Thanks, Mayday." Dusty droned sarcastically. "Thanks a lot."

Sky looked back to Dusty. "Well?"

Dusty sighed. "It's about that little stunt you pulled during the race."

"What about it?" Sky demanded.

"You want to explain yourself?" Dusty requested/ordered.

"Dusty, you saw how Blackwood flew." Sky said. "He clearly only thought about the speed he would get by using that illegal fuel. But he didn't know how to control himself. With his flight path, if you had tried to go up and avoid him, you two might've collided. You couldn't go down because you'd hit rocks. By staying right where you were, Blackwood missed you entirely. But if I had stayed where I was, he would've taken my head off. I didn't have any room to duck down, so I did the next best thing."

"By going up?" Dusty scoffed.

"Of course." Sky said. "I didn't see another option at the time."

"There were plenty of other options, Sky." Dusty argued.

"I don't understand why you're so upset." Sky said nonchalantly. "We won the race, didn't we?"

"Winning is not everything." Dusty said.

"I know that, Dusty, but isn't it great that we won?" Sky pointed out. "I don't regret doing what I did."

"If you had gotten hurt, you would've regretted it." Dusty countered.

"Yeah, I guess." Sky shrugged. "But I didn't get hurt. So it's okay."

"It's actually _not_ okay, Sky!" Dusty protested.

"Would you rather we lose the race?" Sky demanded.

"This isn't about winning or losing the race!" Dusty snapped. "This is about you taking an unnecessary risk, and not your first one either! You've been getting more and more reckless in our races lately and I don't like it."

"Reckless how?" Sky demanded.

"You're making calls without considering their consequences." Dusty said. "You're doing things that are hurting you and you don't even seem to care."

"Dusty, we are professional athletes." Sky argued. "We do sports for a living. That means we're going to get injured now and then. That doesn't mean we should be afraid to get back in the race."

"I'm not afraid to get back in the race." Dusty assured. "I'm afraid of what might happen to you the next time you do something stupid."

Sky gawked a little. "Something stupid? If I hadn't acted when I did, I would have been killed."

"You might've gotten hurt anyway." Dusty growled. "You almost got us both hurt when we nearly hit that archway because you were covering my eyes!"

"You're the one who slowed down!" Sky snapped. "If you had slowed any more, I would have hit your propellers and _really_ gotten injured!"

"I slowed down because I was worried you would miss landing in your seat again!" Dusty argued.

Sky's glare deepened. "Oh so all of this is just because you're afraid I might get hurt?"

"Yes, Sky!" Dusty groaned. "I am worried that you are going to do something else that's stupid and you're going to pay for it!"

"You shouldn't have to worry about me, Dusty." Sky snapped. "In fact, you should be more worried about yourself!"

"I'm not the one doing stupid stuff during races!"

"Stop saying that! What I'm doing is not stupid!"

"Of course it's stupid! It's also reckless! Or are you _aiming_ to get hurt?"

"Don't be dumb. Obviously I don't _want_ to get hurt."

"Oh dear Ford."

Sky groaned loudly in frustration. "What is your deal, Dusty?"

"My deal is that you are not being considerate of my feelings." Dusty said.

"Well maybe you're letting your feelings get in the way of what's really important." Sky argued.

"And what is supposedly more important than your safety?" Dusty demanded.

"I'm not afraid to take risks." Sky said. "Maybe you should follow my example. And, while we're on the subject, why are you so freaked out over this?"

"Are you even listening to me?" Dusty snapped.

"Oh I'm listening." Sky scoffed. "And all I hear is 'that's so dangerous' this and 'stop doing this stupid thing' that and 'blah blah oh Sky why do you do such risky things?'"

"So you'd rather I didn't care?" Dusty asked. "Is that what you want?"

"Dusty, I'm always touched that you care." Sky corrected. "I just want you to stop worrying so much. You're getting paranoid. And we need clear heads for fire season. So whatever problem you have, suck it up and deal with it before we leave." With that, Sky turned on her heel and marched off.

Dusty fumed a little as he watched Sky leave. "Why that no-good, bratty little—"

"Watch your language, Dusty."

The plane turned as Mayday appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "How long have you been there?"

"Oh, the entire time." Mayday said. "You two have some serious issues to work out."

"Well she's—"

"You _both_ have problems with listening." Mayday interrupted.

"I _am_ listening!" Dusty protested. "And all I hear is her rambling on about how she thinks she's invincible!"

Mayday chuckled. "Dusty, that's what you're _hearing_. You're not listening."

Dusty's irritated glare softened to a look of confusion. "Well, what did you hear when you listened?"

"I will admit that it's not always easy to listen." Mayday said. "Sky tends to speak in riddles. But I've known her since she was a child. I've learned her way of communicating."

"I don't understand." Dusty said.

"Exactly." Mayday turned and drove off.

Dusty stared after him. "That doesn't help!" He sighed heavily and started driving home. His mind raced as Mayday's words spun around in his brain. What did he mean when he said he learned Sky's way of communicating? How hard could it be to talk to someone like Sky? Then again, sometimes Dusty forgot how complicated a person Sky could be. She still had that nasty habit of hiding her true feelings like fear or sadness. What if she really was scared during that race, and just didn't want Dusty to know? Mayday did have a point. He was one of Sky's first friends when she started coming to Propwash Junction and eventually moved there. He knew Sky better than most people.

So did that mean Dusty didn't really know his best friend?


	2. What am I?

**A/N: Well, I was going to update a few nights ago, and then fell asleep in the middle of writing. Then I got roped into nanny-ing a couple toddler cousins of mine. Enjoy this next chapter I wrote while they were taking a nap earlier today!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two – What am I?**

"So not only was I worried about nothing, it turns out one of my best friends is so freaked out over me getting hurt that he doesn't understand that his worrying is what causes my pain!" Sky growled in frustration, pacing back and forth across the hanger. Sparky and Skipper alternated between listening to Sky and playing their chess game, having heard the entire report from Sky just a few minutes before.

"Sky, there's nothing wrong with Dusty being concerned for you." Skipper said as he moved a pawn one space forward. "You know we get worried when you go into races. Injuries are commonplace in professional sports, especially racing."

"Yeah, but he's letting it affect how we race." Sky said. "That's so not okay. It's what will get me really hurt if he isn't careful. I know my limits."

Sparky and Skipper exchanged a look (one Sky didn't see), and continued their game. "You and Dusty seem to have quite the problem when it comes to communicating about your problems." Sparky noted. He captured Skipper's last rook. "Every time one of you has a problem with the other and try to talk it out, you end up in screaming matches."

Sky sighed. "I know. I don't like it either. But I feel like he has a problem with some part of my personality, some part of who I am. Heck, I'm not sure I know what the real problem is. He keeps dodging questions and he won't be direct with me."

"You have a habit of doing that too, young lady." Skipper said. "You like to fix other people's problems but you have a hard time confronting your own."

"But I don't see how this is a problem about me." Sky protested. "It's just a disagreement about racing styles. That's not a problem Dusty or I may have. It's just…" Sky ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't even know. You're right. We don't communicate well about problems."

"Why don't we change the subject?" Sparky suggested. "You remember that pit crew member from that race in Chicago? He gave us a call the other day. His team is heading to Minnesota and he wants to know if you two can meet up."

Sky rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested."

"Why not?" Sparky asked. "He seems to like you."

"Don't care." Sky said. She plopped down onto a chair and picked up a magazine.

"Everyone needs someone, even you." Sparky said.

"It's not a bad idea to consider settling down a little, Sky." Skipper said.

Sky raised an eyebrow, not tearing her eyes from her magazine. "And here I thought you would be most against me bringing a boy home."

"There's nothing wrong with considering it." Skipper said. "Dusty and Ishani are trying to start a family, and they're still keeping up with their racing. You could do the same if you want."

"I don't think so." Sky said.

"Why not?" Sparky asked curiously.

"Because I have yet to meet someone who likes me for just being me." Sky said. "Every guy I meet is through racing, and they want to get close to me because I'm one of the best psyche human racers around. And all they want to talk about is racing. I enjoy racing as much as the next racer, but that's not what I want to talk about all the time. Besides, racing is not the only part of me." She stared off into space. "Is it so much to ask for someone to like the other parts of me that aren't related to racing?"

"Of course not, kiddo." Sparky said. "But it wouldn't hurt to get out there."

"Sure it would." Sky said stubbornly. She set her magazine down and stood up. "I need some air."

Skipper and Sparky watched her leave. Once she disappeared, Skipper finished capturing Sparky's queen. "You notice how she's been so on edge lately?"

"It's just because of all this business with Dusty and the boy issue." Sparky said. "But have you noticed the date?"

Skipper glanced to the wall calendar, and it dawned on him. "Oh."

Sky went out to her favorite spot near the cliff and sat on the rock there. She stared out on the horizon. If it were just about the boys in the racing world constantly asking her out, this wouldn't be an issue. Eventually, she would learn to talk to Dusty about their little problem. Neither one of those things really bothered her right now. Sky pulled out her phone and checked the date in her calendar, as she had three times already today. There was nothing planned today. No birthdays or anniversaries. No parties or other events planned. Nothing really officially special was today.

Today was the one-year anniversary of the incident at the Academy for Psyche Students.

One year ago, Sky found out why her parents gave her up. One year ago, she discovered she was related by blood to a madman. One year ago, she activated her second Soul Connection. One year ago, the former dean George Waller tried to kill her, and was arrested.

Sky's entire world changed after that. She found out the extent of her powers and just how strong they were. She solved the greatest mystery of her family life, and she got a good relationship with her blood sister out of it. She practiced her powers almost constantly since the incident, both with Skipper and Blade, to find out just how much she could do with her abilities. Yet everything she did only gave her so much satisfaction. She wanted more. She wanted to understand more about her powers and why hers were so powerful. There had to be a reason for it. Just because she was related to Amelia Earhart—a psyche human herself—doesn't inherently mean she is going to be strong. It was rather ironic that she would be related to a psyche human pilot, and she would follow in those footsteps. But her parents weren't psyche humans. Was it normal for non-psych-man parents to produce a strong psych-man child? If not, then why is it that she seemed to be the strongest psyche human in the world?

"What am I?" Sky murmured to herself.

* * *

Life at Piston Peak became much more interesting when the ghost moved in.

After the events at the Academy for Psyche Students, Nick decided he wanted to feel more a part of the Piston Peak Air Attack life. He spent so much time haunting them—along with watching over Blade—that he already knew the team so well. But if he was going to be known to Blade and Sky (and Dusty, since he had the ability to see ghosts), he might as well tell the rest of the team so they knew their coworkers didn't talk to open air.

Little by little, Nick began revealing himself to the firefighters at Piston Peak until Blade gathered his team together and formally confirmed the presence of the ghost of his old partner. Naturally, the other firefighters were shocked to see an actual ghost; and not just any ghost, but the ghost of Nick Loopin' Lopez himself! As the months went by, the firefighters at Piston Peak grew accustomed to seeing a ghost around the base.

Fire season kept everyone busy, and they looked forward to having Dusty and Sky return to base in a few weeks. In the meantime, Nick kept the Smokejumpers occupied when Maru was too stressed out to deal with them. The male Smokejumpers and Nick had great fun passing the soccer ball around until the fire alarm rang. Nick waved the firefighters off as they went into action. He floated off to the garage.

" _Hola_ Maru!" Nick greeted.

"You steal my wrench again, Lopez, I'll have you exorcised." Maru droned, tinkering with something on his workbench.

"If I were gonna steal a wrench, you wouldn't find it for a week." Nick teased.

"Yeah, yeah." Maru tightened the screws of the thing he worked on. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"What?" Nick asked, blinking in surprise and confusion.

"I can see that something is bothering you, kid." Maru said.

"Since when am I a kid?" Nick scoffed.

Maru turned and crossed his forks, staring at Nick. "I ain't always the best with my people skills, but I _can_ see when something is bothering someone. I'm a pretty good listener if you need someone to vent to."

Nick stared at the ground. "Uh, I don't know. It's a little personal."

"I promise I won't tell a soul, now let's hear it." Maru said.

It was likely that Maru would argue this until the tractors came home. So Nick caved. "I miss Sky."

"We all miss Sky and Dusty. But they'll be here soon." Maru shrugged.

"Yeah, but I've missed Sky the most lately." Nick explained. "I'm really glad both she and Dusty are coming, but I'm most excited to see her again. I've shared good conversations with Sky that I couldn't share with other people, sometimes not even with Blade."

"Interesting." Maru mused. "You ever tell her this?"

"Sometimes I try to." Nick said. "But when I do, my tongue gets stuck to the roof of my mouth. My stomach churns like I just ate a bunch of rocks. I don't know why it's so hard to tell her that she's such a good friend."

"Is she just a good friend?" Maru asked with a rather sly smile. "Or is she a little more?"

"Huh?" Nick asked, blinking a few times.

"You're in love with Sky, Lopez." Maru said. "It's painfully obvious."

"I am not in love with Skylar Riley." Nick huffed.

"You sure about that?" Maru smirked.

Nick opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He couldn't be in love with Sky, could he? "Sky's just a really good friend who's a good listener and cares about other people and smells really nice and likes to play soccer and—" Nick froze. "I said 'smells really nice' out loud, didn't I?"

"Yep." Maru snickered.

"You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone." Nick ordered.

"No problem, Lopez." Maru laughed. "But don't you think you ought to tell her?"

"I don't know." Nick sighed. "I never wanted to get serious with girls I dated while on _"CHoPs"_ , and none of those girls really liked me for me. They never treated me the way Sky does. She's my friend because she likes me for just being me. She sees that there's more to me than my fancy loops."

"Sky's pretty good at that." Maru mused. "She sees people for who they are. Very perceptive, that kid."

"Not really a kid anymore." Nick said with a smile.

Maru went back to tinkering with his project. "You know, you should talk to Blade about your little love dilemma. Not just because he's your friend, but because he and Sky have that Soul Connection. That bond they share is very strong. He knows her better than she may even know herself."

Nick nodded in understanding. "Thanks, Maru."

* * *

It was nearly dusk when the firefighters returned covered in ash and dirt from their work. Blade hosed off and went right to his hanger to do some paperwork and then get some sleep. Windlifter would handle spot fire patrolling that night since Blade hadn't gotten much sleep lately.

Nick didn't want to bother Blade if he was so tired, but Blade could see something bothering Nick just as Maru did. So Nick spilled the beans. Blade reacted with surprise, but also happiness.

"You haven't told her yet, have you?" Blade guessed.

"How am I supposed to?" Nick asked. "And what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"Then you'll just have to accept that." Blade said. "And maybe she won't feel the same way. But you'll never know unless you ask."

"I guess." Nick said half-heartedly.

"Also, consider this: are your feelings actually love?" Blade asked.

Nick stared at the ground. "I don't know. But I'll think about it."

"You'll have better luck thinking about it when you're with her." Blade suggested. "She'll be flying in a few days from now."

Nick finally started to smile. "Thanks, Blade."

* * *

Nick waited excitedly for Dusty and Sky to fly in the day they were supposed to arrive. Once he got to talking to Sky, he would know for sure if he was actually in love with her. He spent almost two hours scanning the skies for the racers. When he finally spotted that spot of red and white, he began jumping around and exclaiming in Spanish.

"Hey guys!" Nick greeted the racers after they landed.

"Welcome back, Champ, Raven." Blade nodded in greeting.

Sky dismounted off Dusty as the two of them made their way towards the hangers. Nick noticed both of them had irritated frowns on their faces. "What's up with you two?"

"I'm not speaking to him." Sky snapped, walking towards Blade's hanger.

"I'm not speaking to her." Dusty snapped, taxiing towards his own hanger.

Nick blinked a few times in bewilderment. "Uh…..okay…"

"Oh great." Blade groaned.

"They just need to blow off some steam, it looks like." Nick said. "Give them some time."

"We don't have time." Blade protested. "Dipper's out of commission thanks to yesterday's incident with the tree. We need every flier available and undistracted."

"Just go easy on them, partner." Nick requested. "I think they're going through some serious issues right now."

"Which means they need to work through it as soon as possible." Blade said. "So….." He raised his voice loud enough to be heard not only by Dusty and Sky, but the rest of the base too. _"Crophopper! Riley! Front and center!"_

Sky bolted upright from her hammock on Blade's porch. Dusty reversed suddenly and hit a shelf. The two racers bolted from their spots and approached Blade. They stood straight and tall before their chief.

"Uh, bye!" Nick made his escape before things could get ugly. _I'll talk to Sky later._

"Yes, Chief?" Sky and Dusty said simultaneously.

"What's the problem?" Blade demanded.

"Nothing." Sky shrugged. "There isn't a problem."

"You're a bad liar, Raven." Blade said. "Especially to me."

Dusty cast a glance to Sky. _Maybe she'll be more reasonable with Blade around._ "Can we talk about this in private, Chief?"

"Talk about what?" Sky hissed, trying to convey how much she didn't want to share this with Blade.

"In the main hanger." Blade ordered. "Now."

The three of them headed for the main hanger and shut the doors behind them. Sky shot irritated glares at Dusty. Blade noticed this.

"Do we really have to do this?" Sky demanded.

"Sky did something dangerous during our last race." Dusty said. "She's been taking too many risks lately and I'm worried for her."

"And I hate that Dusty is so freaked out over such minor things." Sky snapped, glaring at said plane.

"What exactly are you doing that's so risky?" Blade asked, partly out of concern for Sky's safety.

"Nothing that Dusty needs to freak out over." Sky assured.

"You call jumping off me nothing I need to freak out over?" Dusty demanded.

"You jumped off him?" Blade stared at Sky. "In the middle of a race?"

"I was dodging a racer who almost hurt us." Sky said. "It wasn't any dangerous than the other stunts we pull on a regular basis."

"Like _what_?" Dusty demanded.

"Like almost everything we do when we race, Dusty!" Sky snapped. "Those radial-G turns, the obstacle courses we do. I mean, come on! I'm strapped the back of a plane speeding at a hundred and forty miles an hour! That alone is dangerous. Professional sports are not exactly for the faint of heart."

"She has a point there." Blade mused. "And you two are in one of the most dangerous professions in the world as firefighters."

"At least she isn't trying to kill herself by jumping off aircraft." Dusty muttered.

"What is your deal?" Sky's voice went up an octave and rang with irritation. "I'm not going to get hurt, you know. I'm going to be just fine. I'm not weak!"

"I'm not saying you're weak, Sky!" Dusty practically screamed. "I'm saying you're human!"

Sky's eyebrows raised, and her jaw dropped a little. Blade looked back and forth between the two racers. For the first time in a long time, he actually didn't know how to respond.

After a moment of silence, Sky scoffed in indignation. "And what _exactly_ is that supposed to mean?"

"It means—like it or not—you break easier than I will." Dusty growled.

"I am a psyche human, Dusty." Sky said, her eyebrows now furrowed in a deep glare. "I am not as weak as you think I am."

"Being a psyche human affects you psychologically." Dusty protested. "Physically, you're still a human, and you are _fragile._ "

Sky glared at Dusty for another minute before she turned on her heel and marched out of the hanger. She passed Nick on her way into the forest, but either didn't hear him greet her or ignored him completely.

Dusty looked to Blade. "You know I'm right, don't you?"

"I understand your concern." Blade said. "But that doesn't mean you're right."

"How?" Dusty demanded. "I mean, she _is_ a human, even if she is a psych-man. She's going to get hurt someday and all I want to do is protect her!"

"And she hates that." Blade reminded him. "She hates it when people fuss over her like that."

"Look, I understand she doesn't really need someone to look after her." Dusty said. "She's pretty tough. But—"

"If you know she's so tough, why are you so worried?" Blade asked.

"Because it's like she thinks she has to prove herself." Dusty said. "She shouldn't have to prove anything to anybody."

"Bingo." Blade said in a sing-song tone. He made his way out of the hanger.

Dusty followed him quickly. "What do you mean?"

Blade came to a stop near the garage. "You know, several years ago, a friend of mine over in Colorado decided she wanted to adopt a foster kid. She asked me to do a little research on helping orphans adjust to a new home. One of the more interesting things I found was that orphans who have a clear recollection of their abandonment, given those were the circumstances of their situation, develop this mentality of 'I have to prove myself to everyone.' Orphans who remember seeing their parents willingly give them up often feel like they have to prove themselves to everyone because it's like the ones who were supposed to love them treated these kids like they were worthless."

"And Sky has this same mentality?" Dusty guessed.

"You haven't noticed it?" Blade cast Dusty a skeptical look.

"Well, I did a lot more before our first Wings Around the Globe." Dusty admitted. "Proving herself to her birth parents became her motivation for winning."

"Exactly." Blade said. "Sky is still motivated by that to some extent."

"But she severed all ties with her birth family except for CJ." Dusty protested. "She doesn't care about her birth parents."

"The mind is a strange thing, Champ." Blade said. "Sky lived with that mentality for a long time. That doesn't mean everything changes overnight just because she let go of that burden. Her psychology won't be so easily changed. It takes time to truly change oneself."

Dusty listened carefully, rather awed by Blade's wisdom. He sighed softly. "How do you know her so well? I've known her since she was a kid. You've only known her for less than half that time."

"Honestly, I credit the Soul Connection for that." Blade said. "Raven and I are able to understand each other because that connection bonds us. Sometimes I even catch her going through my memories when I'm in a bad mood, so she can cheer me up."

Dusty stared off in the direction Sky left. "I wish I could do that with her. I have such a hard time understanding her, and all I want to do is help when she needs it."

"Don't beat yourself up so much." Blade said in almost scolding tone. "You and Sky have a pretty special bond yourselves."

"Not as great as a Soul Connection." Dusty scoffed. "I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm still jealous of that."

"The bond you and Sky share is special in its own way." Blade assured. "It's because you chose each other instead of Sky's powers choosing you for her. Sky and I have our bond in part because of her powers. But you two made your bond."

Dusty shrugged a little, but he began to smile. "Makes me wonder how Soul Connections came to be. Why bond a psych-man and a vehicle so closely when a psych-man can already bond herself or himself to any vehicle?"

"Who knows?" Blade shrugged too. "A mystery for another day, I suppose. Now, I'm not going to interfere any more than I already have. But I want you to promise me two things."

"Anything." Dusty agreed.

"One, that you and Sky will find a way to work this out, and soon." Blade said. "And two, don't let this affect how you work on this base."

"Yes, sir!" Dusty nodded firmly. Blade nodded back in satisfaction and taxied off to talk to Maru. Dusty certainly felt better after that talk. It was great to know that Blade could handle the situation so well.

Now came the tricky part: how to talk to Sky about all this.

* * *

 **A/N: Can't say when I'll update again. Going on vacation and I can't guarantee wifi access. Until next time!**


	3. He's Back, And He's Still Mean

**Chapter Three – He's Back, And He's Still Mean**

Dusty and Sky didn't end up talking for a whole week. Sky could hold a grudge with the best of them, and every time she even looked at Dusty she had a furious glare in her eyes. Dusty wanted to talk, but seeing her angry made him angry too. Blade hated seeing them argue. Emotionally distracted firefighters had a higher risk of screwing up and getting themselves hurt. Then again, the last thing he wanted was to hear a shouting match between Dusty and Sky. So he would have to let them sort it out themselves for now. If this went on for too long, then he could pull the Chief Card and intervene.

" _Attention, Sky!"_ Patch called over the intercom. _"You got a call from a Harley Hudson and Katherine Achebe. Come on up to the tower to answer!"_

Sky perked up from her spot on a large rock, where she read a book. She hopped off the rock and jogged up to the tower. Patch left for her lunch break so Sky could talk privately.

"Sky Riley answering." Sky said into the radio. "What's up, guys?"

" _Hey Sky!"_ Harley's voice came over the radio.

" _Long time, no chat!"_ Katherine chimed in.

"Where are you guys?" Sky asked. "This transmission is coming from England."

" _Well Finn and I were finishing up a mission in a place I cannot disclose."_ Harley said. _"We decided to spend some time in London. We ran into Katherine, and she invited us to her house near Devon."_

"Sounds fun." Sky said. "Anything else exciting happening?"

" _I found my Soul Connect Partner."_ Katherine announced. _"It's Leland!"_

"No way! That's so cool!" Sky remembered the ghostly spy car Nick befriended at APS. It only seemed fitting that Katherine, who could see ghosts, would have a ghost for a Soul Connect Partner.

" _I'm still wheelchair-bound, but I now share some of those ghostly powers like going through walls and turning invisible."_ Katherine said.

" _How are things on your end?"_ Harley asked.

Sky shrugged. "Oh, same old, same old."

A pause on the line. _"Something wrong?"_ Harley asked.

"Just some stress." Sky said.

" _With work? Firefighting or racing?"_ Katherine guessed.

"Racing, I guess." Sky said. She explained her argument with Dusty, including their biggest one just a week ago.

" _There's nothing wrong with him being concerned for you, Sky."_ Harley said. _"I worry about you sometimes when you go into races. Working as McQueen's crew chief has shown me just how dangerous the sport of racing can be. Racers get injured and sometimes never go back to a normal life."_

"You sound like my dad." Sky sighed, albeit in frustration. "Look, I understand how dangerous this sport is. Really, I do. But the more Dusty worries about me getting hurt, the higher the risk becomes of getting an injury. Ironically enough, I will probably get hurt by him worried I'm going to get hurt."

" _Did you tell Dusty that?"_ Katherine asked.

"Like he'd listen to me." Sky scoffed. "He's so focused on his own paranoia I doubt he'd listen."

" _You won't know unless you ask, Sky."_ Harley said. _"Come on, you and Dusty are such good friends. I don't want you to lose that friendship over a fight."_

Sky chuckled softly. "Dusty and I have had our spats before. We never lost a friendship over it. Don't worry. Everything will work out."

" _As long as you're sure….."_ Katherine said.

"It's fine." Sky said. "Though I do wish I could worry about more normal stuff like boys or something."

" _Oh?"_ Harley said. Sky could practically see her smirk. _"Does somebody have a boyfriend that we don't know about?"_

"Oh please." Sky rolled her eyes. "So not interested in boys right now. Never found a guy that looks past the racer side of me. What about you two?"

" _Well, Finn keeps asking me about looking for a boyfriend."_ Harley laughed. _"But the last time I tried to start a relationship, it didn't end well."_

" _I'm perfectly happy staying single."_ Katherine admitted. _"I was declared infertile years ago, anyway. Not many guys find that very attractive. But I do plan to adopt a child one of these days."_

"Dusty and Ishani are trying to start a family themselves." Sky mused. "Can't wait to be an auntie."

" _Should be fun."_ Harley said.

" _Oh, we aren't taking you away from firefighting, are we?"_ Katherine asked worriedly.

"No, no!" Sky laughed. "If the alarm goes off, you'll hear it. Not much I need to do in between fires. Except chores now and then. And psych-man power practice."

" _How's that going?"_ Harley asked. _"Finn and I have been working on techniques we can use in the field."_

"Blade, Skipper, and I are doing what we can. But I'm dying to know more about my powers." Sky said.

" _I've been doing as much research as I can."_ Harley said. _"But most of what I'm doing relates to my healing abilities. Those are my strongest powers."_

" _I've been helping her with her research, but sometimes our powers are strongest with certain aspects like healing."_ Katherine said. _"If you find anything more, let us know!"_

"You got it." Sky said. "Well, I better sign off. I have firewood duty with the Smokejumpers, and I know that'll take the entire afternoon depending on how much the Jumpers mess around."

" _Talk soon, okay?"_ Katherine requested.

"You got it." Sky agreed. "See ya, guys!"

" _Bye!"_ Harley said before signing off.

Sky stood and stretched. She could use a little exercise. As she half-walked, half-bounced down the ramp to the ground, she spied something red and white. She thought it Blade at first, but got a better look and saw Dusty instead. The two racers locked eyes and just stared at each other for a long moment. They both wanted to say something, but it didn't seem like the right time. So Dusty turned and headed back to his hanger. Sky joined the Smokejumpers to head into the forest.

They would find another time to talk. It's not like anything worse can happen.

* * *

"Cad is back."

The team sat around a bonfire eating dinner when Blade and Maru gave the news. Half of the firefighters spewed their drinks. Drip started choking on his food and Blackout had to give him the Heimlich.

"What in the name of Dodge is Cad doing back here?" Dynamite demanded.

"Relax. He's a low-level employee." Maru said. "He works cleanup or the gift shop or something."

"But that means we're going to be running into him." Drip groaned.

"BAD!" Avalanche snapped.

"I'm giving you all fair warning so you can avoid him." Blade said. "We have to remain as professional as possible, understand?"

"So no pranks?" Blackout asked.

Blade thought about it. "I will not be a witness." The male Smokejumpers exchanged devious smirks, and then bolted for their hanger.

"Well this should be interesting." Sky sighed.

"Working with Cad around or whatever prank those boys have in mind?" Dipper asked.

"Both." Sky shrugged.

"We better keep an eye on them." Dynamite said. She and Pinecone followed the boys. As the night went on, the rest of the team began trickling off to their rooms until only Sky and Nick remained. Sky had since finished her dinner and simply poked at the dying fire. Nick stared at the stars. Quiet swirled around them except the chirping of the crickets and the occasional howl of a wolf.

"You know, I'm really glad you decided to show yourself to everyone here." Sky piped up. "It's nice to be able to talk to you anytime I like instead of trying to find a moment to sneak into the forest."

"It's much better than staying hidden, that's for sure." Nick said. "And the firefighters all seem to like me."

"I agree." Sky nodded. "You're a good member of this team."

Nick rolled his eyes with a grin. "Well, I don't do much. Just keep the morale going."

"That is just as important as any other job on this base." Sky assured.

"Thanks, Sky. You're a good kid." Nick had to remind himself that Sky wasn't exactly a child anymore. She was in her mid-twenties, after all. Sky had blossomed into a lovely young woman, and Nick couldn't help but stare sometimes.

"Nick?" Sky piped up quizzically.

Crud, he was staring now!

"Uh, sorry. Lost in thought." Nick chuckled. Sky laughed and shook her head a little. She went back to prodding the embers of the fire. Nick glanced to the package he hid behind him. "Hey, when's your birthday?"

"June." Sky answered.

"Then I guess we can call this a belated birthday present." Nick lifted a bandana in his teeth and floated over to drop the parcel in Sky's hands.

"What is it?" Sky asked, rather surprised.

"Open it and find out." Nick encouraged.

Sky obeyed, untying the bandana to discover what was inside. She gasped in awe. "Nick, it's beautiful!" She pulled out a gold chain with a gold pendant on it. The circular amulet was studded with a variety of different-colored stones. "Where did you get this?"

"Well, I found it, actually." Nick explained. "It was in the ashes of a bonfire we had a few weeks ago. Maru thinks it was stuck in a tree, and the tree was chopped into firewood which we used for the bonfire. I'm surprised it isn't any more damaged."

"I love it!" Sky clipped the amulet around her neck. "Thank you, Nick."

Nick felt his face grow hot. "It's nothing, really."

Sky still smiled, and she stood to hug the ghostly helicopter. "It's beautiful, Nick. Thank you." She yawned. "On that happy note, I think I'll be heading to bed."

"Sleep well, _Cuervo._ " Nick said.

"Goodnight. Thanks again." Sky walked off to her and Blade's hanger with a skip in her step. Nick watched her leave with a smile on his lips and his face still hot from blushing.

 _Man, Maru was right. I really am in love with Sky._ Nick stared at the dying fire. _I don't know what it is about her, but I just feel so comfortable when she's around. And I miss her when she's gone._ He sighed blissfully. _I love this. I love being in love with her._

* * *

Thankfully for the firefighters, none of them really ran into Cad as they went about their days. The team tended to stay on the base, and Cad never went up to see them for any reason. Sky and Blade's luck ran out one morning when Jammer asked them to come down and lend a hand with a problem the superintendent ran into. When they arrived, Jammer led them to a tree that had fallen over right onto the lodge itself. Luckily, the strong structure of the lodge prevented the tree from causing too much damage besides some broken shingles. Jammer often called Windlifter and Blade down to help with removing these kinds of obstacles.

"What do you think, Blade?" Jammer asked as he, Blade, and Sky evaluated the damage. "Think we should call Windlifter?"

"I think I can manage this myself." Blade assured. "Just need to hook it correctly. Raven, it'll be easier and I'll get a better grip if you hook it for me. You a good climber?"

"Heck yeah." Sky nodded. "I'll head up there."

"Be careful." Jammer warned. "Those shingles can be a bit slippery."

Sky nodded and jogged inside the lodge. She got a room key and took the elevator to the room just below the damage. Once she exited the elevator, an unpleasant sight greeted her.

"Ah! The demon child!" Cad whimpered.

"Oh great. The village idiot." Sky rolled her eyes.

"What are you still doing here?" Cad demanded.

"I'm a firefighter at Piston Peak, you moron." Sky droned. She walked down the hall.

Cad scrambled to keep up. "Then what are you doing down here?"

"Damage caused by a fallen tree." Sky said. "Helping Blade take care of it."

"Oh no you don't!" Cad snapped. "If you're going to do any kind of work here in the lodge, then you need to be supervised by an _actual_ lodge employee. Like me."

"Oh please." Sky scoffed. "First off, I wouldn't need your help even if you were actually helpful. Second, you're only a low-level employee. You run the gift shop and pick up trash. You have no experience with the kind of work Blade and I do."

"You're firefighters." Cad rolled his eyes. "You drop wet stuff on hot stuff and that's it. Really, you can't be doing it so well if you almost got killed last time."

Sky clenched her fists, her nostrils flaring. She struggled to control her temper. She took great pride in her work as a firefighter, and she felt honored to be in the rankings with her team at Piston Peak. They all did so much for the park. They were heroes. What did Cad know about their work?

"If you insist on coming, then you do what Blade and Jammer say." Sky decided.

"Fine. Whatever." Cad said dismissively.

 _Oh I might just kill him before the day is done._ Sky put on a smile and knocked on the door of a lodge room. She heard no answer, and when she opened the door, she saw the room vacant. The room had a balcony, where Sky could see the tree still leaning against the lodge.

Sky pushed open the doors to the balcony and saw Blade hovering above her. "Hey Blade!"

"How's it look, Raven? Can you climb that?" Blade asked.

"No problem." Sky said. "It's just that—"

"What's the holdup?" Cad demanded as he joined Sky on the balcony.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Blade demanded.

"Company policy that a lodge employee must standby to offer expertise when outside sources are contacted for jobs in the lodge." Cad said smugly.

Blade glanced down to Jammer, who rolled his eyes. Clearly Cad was full of sludge, as usual. "All right, then you do as we say!" Blade ordered. "Help Skylar climb up to the roof."

"How?" Cad demanded.

"Hold still so I can climb on you and then climb on the roof." Sky snapped.

"Oh, no!" Cad scoffed. "You and your dirty sneakers aren't getting anywhere near this pristine paintjob."

"Cad." Blade growled warningly.

Cad rolled his eyes and reluctantly let Sky crawl onto his hood, and then his roof. He grimaced in disgust. Sky cheekily rubbed some dirt off her shoe and onto Cad's roof, and then hopped up onto the roof of the lodge. She slipped a little bit on the shingles, but managed to crawl down to the tree. Blade lowered his hoist down, and Sky wrapped the hook and cable around the part of the tree that leaned against the gutter. Here, the trunk was thick enough to not snap when Blade pulled on it, and Blade would have the proper leverage to pull the tree away from the lodge without causing more damage.

"All right, Blade!" Sky called. "You're clear!"

"Roger that!" Blade began his haul, slowly lifting the tree from the lodge roof. Pine needles fell from the tree, and Sky could see a couple shingles stuck to the tree branches.

"How's the damage look?" Jammer called from the ground.

"Not too bad!" Sky called back. "I think it just needs some nails, new tiles, and it'll be good!"

"All right, I'll send up our resident handyman to take a look!" Jammer called. "Come on down. And be careful!"

"I'm always careful!" Sky barely finished before her foot slipped and she tumbled right off the roof. Her fingers caught the edge of the roof, but she slipped quickly.

"Cad! Catch her!" Blade shouted. He couldn't drop the tree and help Sky.

"Huh?" Cad looked up and reversed as Sky fell towards him. She landed on her side and her teeth clenched in pain. She growled in her agony, holding her hip.

Blade fumed now. He promptly dropped the tree off to one side and flew back as close as he could get to the balcony without scraping his rotors. "What in the hell is wrong with you?!" Blade shouted at Cad. "Why did you do that?"

"She would've put a dent in me!" Cad complained.

"She could've been seriously hurt thanks to you!" Blade corrected. _Again._

"Blade, relax!" Sky slowly rose to her feet. "I studied jujitsu when I became a Jolly Wrench. I know how to fall right."

Blade's murderous glare changed to a stare of concern when he looked to Sky. "You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine." Sky assured. "I'm bruised, but I'm fine."

"Spinner, get back to your post in the shop." Jammer ordered. "Blade, you and Sky are dismissed."

Blade nodded and lowered his hoist to pull Sky up. Then he headed back towards the base. "Raven, be honest with me." Blade said. "Are you hurt?"

"Like I said, just bruised." Sky answered honestly. "I've taken worse beatings, and I didn't fall very far." She heard Blade mutter something. "Blade, I can still hear you."

"You know how protective I get of you, Raven." Blade said. "And the fact that Cad's first impulse was to get out of the way just makes me angrier at his stupidity."

"The more you dwell on it, the angrier you'll get." Sky said. "I'll live."

Blade still grumbled as he landed on the base and went to Maru to refuel. "I see you limping, Raven."

"Shut up." Sky droned. She did limp a little bit from the lingering pain. But if she could walk, it meant nothing was broken. So she would be fine.

"Hey Sky!" Dusty called as he approached her. "I wanted to talk to—" He noticed her unnatural gait. "Why are you limping?"

"Problem with Cad. Don't worry about it." Sky winced. "Sorry, that was too harsh."

"No, no. Don't worry about it." Dusty assured. He and Sky started talking again, even though they avoided their little spat following the race in Arizona.

"Did you say you wanted to talk to someone?" Sky asked.

"Yeah, you." Dusty said. "I think we should talk about what I said some time ago about…..uh….about you…being….."

"About you calling me fragile?" Sky asked bitterly.

"Yes!" Dusty cleared his throat. No amount of rehearsal in a mirror could prepare him for this talk. "I just…..well….."

"Dusty, I need to go ice down my hip so it doesn't swell." Sky said. "Can this wait?"

"No." Dusty said hurriedly. "No, it really can't wait."

"Then start talking." Sky urged. "Like I said, I have to ice my hip."

"Right." Dusty exhaled sharply. "Sky—"

" _All aircraft. We got a report of a wildfire."_

"Oh are you kidding me?!" Dusty complained.

"Champ, Raven, let's load and go!" Blade urged.

Sky nodded and headed for the garage to get her gear. "Sky!" Dusty called, causing her to pause. "We need to talk. After the fire. Please."

After a moment, Sky nodded. "We'll talk after the fire. Promise."

"Promise." Dusty agreed. He and Sky split off to gear up for the firefight. _We can talk after the fire. No worries._ Dusty assured himself. _We're going to figure this out._

* * *

"Dipper, go to the north end of the fire and start making a line. Dusty, pick up where she leaves off and finish it."

"Copy that!"

"Yes, Chief!"

"Windlifter, create a line up on the ridge to keep the fire from cresting it."

"Windlifter copies."

"Dynamite, how's it going down there?"

"Almost done clearing the brush."

 _Things are looking good._ Sky thought, scanning the firefight from her vantage point with Blade. She nodded to Nick, who also surveyed the scene. Nick nodded back to ensure everything looked okay.

The firefighters found the wildfire near Augerin Canyon, creeping closer and closer to the opening of the tunnel leading to the bridge. If the fire reached the bridge, it would be another reconstruction project and a loss of a major roadway in the park. It would be extremely dangerous if the bridge was taken out again. The firefighters would have to work fast to contain the fire and keep it from spreading.

Blade circled the fire a few more times, his sharp gaze taking in every detail. As an actor, his attention to detail helped him pick up flaws in the script or ideal additions to the show. As a firefighter chief, that same attention to microscopic and seemingly unimportant details allowed him to tackle small problems before they became bigger ones.

That same attention to detail saw a flash of white that looked like a paintjob on a car.

"Dynamite, come in." Blade ordered.

" _What's up, Chief?"_ Dynamite responded.

"Do a scan of the fire. Call out into it. I think we got someone trapped inside." Blade said.

Dynamite turned to the flames, fear bubbling up in her gut. This was always a worst fear for wildland firefighters: the possibility that someone was inside the fire they fought. Animals could escape easier than people. Dynamite hollered as loud as she could. "Hello! Is there somebody in there? Give us some sort of sign! Shout! Honk your horn! Do something!"

Seconds later, Dynamite heard the frantic honks of a car horn. _"Is that close to you?"_ Blade asked over the radio.

"Negative." Dynamite reported. "I'd say about a hundred yards into the fire, northeast of our position."

"Copy that." Blade flew in that direction. "Raven, take a look. I need a second pair of eyes."

"Yes sir!" Sky nodded and leaned out of the hoist hatch. She scanned the gaps in the trees and flames in hopes of spotting their lost civilian. She spied a flash of white that quickly disappeared. "Blade, it looks like they're on the run."

"They're all over the place." Blade murmured. Another bad thing about civilians caught in a wildfire. They tended to run wild, trying to find a way out.

"There!" Sky pointed to the flash of white, and this time Blade could follow.

"Hey!" Blade shouted. "Stop running!"

The car finally skidded to a help and stared up at the firefighters. "Get me out of here!"

Sky and Blade froze and simultaneously groaned.

"What?" Dusty asked. "What is it?"

"Cad." Sky and Blade sighed.

" _WHAT?!"_ The other firefighters all shouted at once, even Windlifter.

" _What the heck is Cad doing out there?"_ Maru shouted over the radio.

"Maybe he finally cracked." Nick shrugged, half-jokingly.

"Sky, you know what to do." Blade didn't sound very happy about it either.

"Roger that." Sky sighed. Blade often sent her into fires to help guide civilians or maybe the Smokejumpers to safety. It may sound horrible, but she really didn't want to have to help Cad after how mean he was to her and her team. Still, she was a firefighter, and she saved people. Even Cad.

Blade dropped a bit of retardant onto the trees to give Sky a clear shot. Sky took hold of Blade's hoist and used it to get down to the forest floor. The second her sneakers touched the ground, she was surrounded by the flames. She already began sweating. Regardless, she put on her oxygen mask, took her fire extinguisher and cleared a path to Cad.

"Cad!" Sky shouted.

The white Cadillac spun around to her. His eyes were wild, and ash and dirt splotched his previously pristine paintjob. "Well don't just stand there!" Cad shouted. "Get me out of here!"

"Nice to see you too!" Sky snapped in a sarcastic tone. She jumped when a flaming tree branch fell beside her. "Blade, Nick, somebody. I need options."

" _Windlifter, create a line through the fire for them to get through."_ Blade ordered.

" _Windlifter copies."_

In less than a minute, a snowfall of retardant fell over Sky and Cad as Windlifter doused out the flames in a perfect line leading out of the fire.

"Ugh! Gross!" Cad growled as the red retardant splattered over him.

"Just come on!" Sky urged, pulling on his fender to guide him down the path.

Cad reversed a few feet, almost jerking Sky off her feet. "I'm not going through there! I wasn't made for off-road!"

"That's what this is for!" Sky pulled out her pulaski axe from its holster on her hip. "I'll cut a path for us!"

"No way!" Cad said. "I'll get even dirtier!"

"Really? You're going to argue with me _now?!"_ Sky shouted.

"Forget it!" Cad said. "You're the worst firefighter I ever met! I'm finding my own way out!"

Sky threw her pulaski as hard as she could. The axe end impaled a tree, stopping Cad in his tracks. "Do you _want_ to die? You have to trust me!"

"Why would I?" Cad scoffed.

"Because if you don't, we'll both burn!" Sky argued.

Suddenly they heard a loud crashing sound, and Sky shielded her face from the kicked-up ash and embers. She groaned when she saw a flaming tree fell right in the path Windlifter cleared out. Cad screamed—in a rather high-pitched tone—and spun around to drive for his life.

"Cad!" Sky growled in frustration. "You gotta be kidding me!"

" _Raven, come in! What's going on down there?"_ Blade demanded over Sky's radio.

"What's going on is Cad is freaking out and going to get us killed!" Sky answered as she yanked her pulaski out of the tree and sprinted after Cad. The Cadillac couldn't move very well over the rough and burning terrain, so Sky caught up fairly easily and grabbed his mirror. Using her powers to control him, Sky could make him freeze in his tracks. She couldn't, however, stop his hyperventilating and blabbering.

" _Sky, talk to me."_ Blade was getting more anxious, and Sky could tell by the tone of his voice.

"We're completely boxed in, Blade." Sky said. "The wall of Augerin Canyon is on one side of us and the burning forest is everywhere else. We need a way out and fast."

" _Sky, just west of your position is the opening to the tunnel leading to the bridge!"_ Dusty chimed in on the radio. _"You can get through there!"_

Blade flew a little higher to analyze the situation. "Good eye, Champ. Set yourself up for a drop and give them a clear shot inside. Sky, you and Cad can get through there, but be careful! The fire crested the ridge and you might have some trees falling down the other side."

" _Just make sure they don't set the bridge on fire, and we'll be fine."_ Sky assured.

"Roger that. Nick, go watch them. Wherever Sky goes, you go. Dusty, move in!" Blade commanded. "Sky, get ready to move."

Nick quickly appeared by Sky's side. "Get ready to move, _Cuervo."_

Sky kept her hand on Cad's mirror to keep him from moving. "Listen to me, Cad! Once Dusty has a path cleared for us, we're going to make a break for the tunnel. You stay right with me, understand?" She looked up at the sound of Dusty's engine. He was circling around them now. "Ready…" A burst of retardant showered onto the trees, clearing the flames. "Go!" Sky took off running, Nick close behind her. She leaped over charred brush and ducked under blackened tree branches. She could see the tunnel just ahead of her. But she didn't hear tires over dirt, and she skidded to a halt when she realized Cad didn't follow her. "Oh for the love of Dodge!" Sky growled. She and Nick turned back and ran into the fire. Cad hadn't moved from his spot. "Cad!" Sky screamed. "Move it!"

Cad didn't move beyond running his mouth.

"Dodge Ram it!" Sky snarled. She jumped onto Cad's roof and pressed her hand to the metal of the Cadillac. Cad seized up, and then shot forward against his will. Nick jumped and scrambled to keep up. Some years ago, Sky discovered her powers extended to the ability of controlling a vehicle's movements. Very rarely did she take control like that. It seemed too cruel to force someone to do something. But this was a desperate time. There was a slight drawback: Sky could only see through the vehicle's eyes—which the vehicle still had control over—and Cad's eyes would sometimes dart around in fear during the drive to the tunnel. Sky struggled to hold on and keep her control at the same time. The swirling colors and flashes of clear images made Sky sick to her stomach.

Blade saw Cad with Sky riding his back, and he kept his eyes on them as they moved. "Come on…..come on….." He finally relaxed when Sky, Nick, and Cad shot into the tunnel to Augerin Canyon. Several burning trees collapsed in front of the entrance. "Maru, come in." Blade said into the radio.

" _I read you."_ Maru answered immediately.

"Sky, Nick, and Cad made it into the tunnel." Blade said as he headed up over the ridge. "Send the call down to Jammer to—" He made it over the ridge and froze, his eyes widening.

" _Blade?"_ Maru asked. _"Chief, what's wrong?"_

Blade couldn't answer. He was too busy staring at the burning trees that completely blocked the exit of the tunnel.

Sky, Nick, and Cad were still inside.


	4. Reconcile

**Chapter Four – Reconcile**

"Raven, come in!" Blade called into his radio. He heard only static coming back. "Sky, do you read me?" Still only static. _Damn it to hell!_

"Blade?" Dusty circled around him. "What's wrong?" His eyes traveled to the tunnel, and his eyes widened to see it blocked. He quickly switched radio channels. "Sky! Sky, come in!"

"She can't hear us!" Blade snapped. "The walls of the canyon are too thick."

"What do we do?" Dusty asked.

"Get back in formation and finish putting out the fire." Blade ordered, already starting to fly that way. "At least in there, they're safe."

"Safe?" Dusty repeated with a scoff. "They're trapped! They might suffocate!"

"There's nothing we can do about it right now." Blade argued. "Nick is with them. He'll report back to me and we can keep tabs on them. For now, we have to keep our focus on the fire. The sooner we get it out, the sooner we get _them_ out."

Dusty looked back to the canyon. "But—"

"Do _not_ argue with me, Crophopper!" Blade snapped. "Get back in formation!"

Dusty couldn't argue when Blade went into full Chief Mode. "Yes, sir." He reluctantly went back to working on the fire. Every now and then, he would try and ping Sky over the radio again. The only response he got was static.

Blade divided his time evenly between giving orders for the fire and waiting for Nick to return to him. But as the minutes ticked by, Blade grew more and more anxious as Nick failed to appear. _Why wouldn't he check in with me?_ Blade wondered. _He can go right through the walls. What's going on in there that he can't come give me a report on what's happening?_

The rest of the firefighters quickly caught on what happened. Dipper and Windlifter, when they returned from refilling their retardant tanks, would make drops near the entrance to the bridge tunnel. Drip made sure to save some of his energy for cutting through the logs blocking the tunnel. Dusty stayed in formation, but kept slowing down when he got to the tunnel entrance. He had no idea what was happening in there, and it terrified him.

Blade's anxiousness transitioned to frustration when Nick still didn't appear to talk to him. How could Nick not come up and check in? What's holding him up?

Several agonizing hours later, the fire was contained and the Jumpers took their positions to stir on the flames until it went out completely. Dipper and Windlifter started back to base. Dusty, however, kept circling around the canyon.

"Champ, return to base." Blade ordered.

"I'm waiting here for Sky." Dusty said.

"That was not a request. That was an order." Blade snapped.

"I want to help." Dusty protested.

"How? What could you possibly do right now to help?" Blade demanded. Dusty didn't respond. "The best thing you can do is wait back at base until we get back. I'll bring Sky back, Dusty, I promise."

Dusty sighed, reluctantly turning tail and heading back to base. Blade stared back towards the tunnel. He tried calling Sky again. "Chief to Raven. Come in, Raven."

Static.

"Sky, please answer me."

Static.

* * *

"Would you quit pacing, Dusty?" Maru demanded. "You're going to put a rut in the ground."

The racer/firefighter had paced back and forth in front of the garage for three hours. "How can you be so relaxed at a time like this?" Dusty demanded. "Why is no one else freaking out over the fact that neither the Jumpers or Blade are back yet with Sky and Nick?" Indeed, it seemed like only Dusty was worried. Dipper was sunbathing and Windlifter was weightlifting logs.

"We're not freaking out because we're trying to get our minds off how worried we are." Maru said. "We know these things happen, and maybe we don't look it, but we _are_ worried. But we don't gain anything by being worried. We just have to prepare for whatever happens."

Dusty could see Maru already prepared. He had first aid supplies for both vehicles and humans set out and ready to go. "This feels like the climax of a cliché movie." Dusty sighed. "Of course the moment Sky gets killed is after she and I are on bad terms."

"Well it's your own fault." Maru huffed, reorganizing his things again.

"My fault?" Dusty scoffed indignantly.

"Yeah, and it's Sky's fault too." Maru nodded. "Because you two were so prideful and hung up on your anger that you didn't take a minute to actually talk to each other."

"But every time we _do_ talk, we get into an argument." Dusty protested. "How am I supposed to talk to her about my concerns for her when she's constantly getting mad at me for being concerned?"

"Well how is she supposed to talk to you about it when you're only focused on being worried about her?" Maru asked.

Dusty didn't think of that. "When did you get so smart and perceptive?"

"I'm a mechanic and medic." Maru shrugged. "The problem is with both of you, Dusty. You guys just don't know how to communicate when it comes to problems. You can talk racing strategies and improvements in your jobs, but when there's a serious problem that affects you mentally and even emotionally, neither one of you know how to talk about it. Makes me wonder how long you've had that problem."

"Who knows?" Dusty sighed. "Maybe we've never really known how to talk about it."

Maru tapped Dusty's wing comfortingly. "It's not too late to change that."

"Let's hope not." Dusty said.

Maru wanted to say something else, but Blade's voice called over the radio. He sounded rather urgent. Maru quickly answered. "Hey Chief, what's up?"

" _Listen very closely, Maru."_ Blade had a no-nonsense tone. _"Tell every single firefighter on base—Patch and yourself included—to write down what happened during the fire. I mean it, Maru, I want your statements in writing."_

That didn't sound good to Maru. "You got it, Chief."

" _Tell everyone that Raven, Nick, the Jumpers, and I are down at the lodge with Jammer."_ Blade added. _"We'll be back sometime tonight."_

"Where's Cad?" Maru asked.

" _Cad's in jail."_

"Cad is in jail?!"

" _What?!"_ the entire base shouted when they heard.

" _That's all I'm going to say right now. I'll explain everything when I get up there."_ Blade said. He hung up before Maru could ask anything else. Unfortunately, Dipper and Windlifter and even Patch were coming towards him to get answers.

"Look, we'll find out what's happening when Blade gets back. Just get your statements down." Maru ordered. The team hesitantly and confusedly obeyed, wondering what could've happened while they were gone.

Dusty went to his hanger immediately and began writing. He wrote down everything from the moment the siren went off to when he returned to the base. He made sure to include every detail, such as the moment he found out Cad was in the fire and when he guided Sky, Nick, and Cad to the tunnel at Augerin Canyon. He had to rewrite a few things to make everything clear and easy to understand, but he managed to finish in about ten minutes. Sometimes it surprised Dusty how eloquently he could write vs. how he spoke.

Dusty gasped. "That's it!"

* * *

About an hour later, Blade returned with Sky, Nick, and the Smokejumpers in tow. Sky jumped out of Blade's hoist hatch and marched straight to the cliff edge where she and Blade liked to scout for spot fires. Nobody dared to stop her when they saw that look of fury in her eyes. Blade barked an order for everyone to gather, and nobody disobeyed that either.

"All right, listen up!" Blade spoke for everyone to hear. "There's been an interesting development. Maru, you get all those statements?"

"Yep!" Maru nodded.

"Good. We'll take those down tomorrow morning." Blade said.

"Why did you need our statements?" Dipper asked.

"Because Cad is under investigation for causing that fire." Blade replied. After everyone gasped and before they could start asking questions, Blade spoke again. "Skylar discovered Cad was responsible for the fire, and we took the matter to Jammer. There is evidence that the fire was started purposefully and not by any storm or unattended campfire. So Jammer called the police, and will need our statements to him so he can talk with them tomorrow. As you can see, Skylar is unharmed and safe. Hiding in the tunnel saved her and Cad's lives. Cad is injured and at the hospital. I wanted you all to know what was happening in case an officer comes up here asking questions. Answer honestly, and we'll see how this affects Cad's position here at Piston Peak."

"But he will be fired, won't he?" Dusty said. "I mean, he's going to be arrested anyway."

"The only thing we know for sure is that Cad won't be here much longer." Dynamite said.

"Just be prepared in case someone comes to talk to us." Blade said. "Nick, come with me. We need to talk."

"Sure." Nick said in a rather glum tone. While the firefighters dispersed, Nick followed Blade into the chief's hanger. Blade shut the door to give them privacy.

The fire chief glared at Nick sternly. "You understand why I'm mad?"

"Yeah." Nick sighed. "But Blade—"

"You didn't check in. You didn't tell me what was going on." Blade said. " _Nobody_ had _any_ idea what was going on in there! You were our only connection inside, the only way we could know for sure that everyone was all right. But you stayed in there and didn't come out for even two seconds! Why not?"

"I was afraid for Sky!" Nick finally snapped. He stumbled over his words a little in his desperation. "She almost got hurt and I was afraid something would happen to her and I didn't want to leave her because I was scared!"

Blade's glare softened ever so slightly. "Nick, you truly have no idea how terrified I was when I found out Sky was trapped. If anything happened to her….." He sighed. "When you asked to be part of this team—to be better integrated into our base—I put you as a scout for a reason. You give us an extra pair of eyes to track fires. You can go through debris and find trapped civilians. As a ghost, you can do things we can't do. That's why I rely on you so much to do those things. We are able to do our jobs when we work together, and you help us by doing your part."

"I didn't want to leave Sky's side." Nick protested softly. "Cad was freaking out."

"So were we when we couldn't reach Sky through the radio." Blade countered. "Everyone was worried, and we can't be worried when we have a fire to put out. I understand you have deeper, more personal feelings for Raven. But when there's a fire to put out and a job to be done, you need to put those feelings aside and focus on your work, or else someone might get hurt. Do you understand?"

Nick sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I understand."

Blade sighed too. He didn't like pulling the Chief Card on his surrogate brother. "Look, there's nothing we can do about it now. The good news is we're all home and we're all safe. But next time you're in a situation like that, you report back to me and then go back to watching out for whoever is trapped. That's how we keep communication strong in dire situations."

"Got it." Nick nodded.

Blade gestured to the door. "Raven should be back later. You should talk to her about what happened in there."

"Right." Nick agreed. "Will do."

* * *

Dusty gave Sky a few minutes to herself before approaching her. "Hey. You okay?" It was a rather dumb question, which he realized right after he asked. Sky glared straight ahead, her shoulders trembling.

"I'm fine." Even Sky's voice was shaky.

"Sky, just talk to me." Dusty pleaded. "I promise I won't say a word. Just talk, and I will listen."

Silence echoed around them for a tense moment.

"We managed to get into the tunnel." Sky finally said. "But when we tried to get out the other side, it was already blocked. We tried to go back out, but we were too late. The debris was too heavy for us to push through it, and it was still burning. Cad started driving around all crazy-like. I jumped on top of him so I could use my powers to knock him unconscious. I figured that would be easier to deal with and it would cause us all less harm. In order for me to knock him out, I had to get into his mind and coax it into going to a state of sleeping. While I was in his mind, I heard him cursing himself over his terrible plan of setting the fire to get revenge on us. He blames us for getting fired." She took a few calming breaths, and that's when Dusty realized she didn't tremble in fear. Sky shook with anger. "He started that fire because of his petty anger. He did something so _stupid_ , without any regard for the safety of the park and the people who work here. Someone could've died. One of us could've died, and it's _all his fault._ "

Dusty waited until Sky finished, and he let her take a few minutes to breathe calmly. "That doesn't sound like the only reason you're mad."

Sky scoffed. "You got that right. Jammer tells me that my mind-reading skills as a psych-man may not be enough to convict Cad. This happened to Harley once. Apparently entering Cad's mind and hearing his honest thoughts isn't a 'reliable source' in some courts. Like some lawyers will try and argue that I didn't even hear it and lied about hearing anything at all. As if I would lie about something so serious. Jammer keeps telling me to just be prepared in case my contribution isn't enough, but he's apparently confident Cad will be convicted anyway. Yeah right! You really think Cad will just openly admit to that? He might get away scot-free, all because some defense attorney is going to paint my testimony as 'unreliable.'" She sighed heavily, finally relaxing. "You really don't have to listen to me rant, Dusty. I know there's nothing I can do about it."

"You're right, there isn't anything you can do about it." Dusty agreed. "You can only give what you can and hope it sticks. Now maybe you're right. Maybe Cad will get away with it. But you can walk away from all this knowing that you're a better person than he is."

"More than half the people in this country are better than him." Sky snorted.

"Yeah, but not all of them are firefighters." Dusty chuckled. "You hated Cad, that's evident. You've always hated him. But despite your feelings about him, you still went in there and risked your neck to save him. You did your job, and you did it right. You're a hero, and that alone makes you a better person. That's what you have to focus on. Cad will have to live with what he did for the rest of his life, and it's going to sink his career even farther down. You've boosted your own life by doing what you do best."

Sky slowly began to smile. "Thanks, Dusty. I really needed to hear that. And I really needed to rant and rave to somebody, so thanks for the open ear."

"Anytime." Dusty said. "We haven't really had a chance to talk about what's been going with us, huh?"

"Well we don't really talk well when it comes to personal issues." Sky shrugged. "I guess we're not good at that."

"So I've come up with a solution." Dusty said. "Anytime there's a personal problem between us—a problem we can't talk about because we end up fighting—we won't talk. We'll write to each other. We can explain ourselves better in writing than in speaking because we'll have time to think about what we want to say. That will cause less fights. At least I hope it will. What do you think?"

Sky thought about it for a moment, and then grinned. "That's a really good idea, Dusty."

"What? Like I don't come up with good ideas all the time?" Dusty asked teasingly.

Sky laughed. "Seriously, Dusty, we should give this a try."

"Okay." Dusty agreed. "How about tomorrow we each write out what's been bugging us and we'll exchange letters? Then we'll keep writing to each other until we're all settled and everything's good again."

"Sounds like a plan." Sky agreed.

"Great." Dusty sighed in relief.

Sky stared off into the distance, that smile still on her lips. "Hey Dusty?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not giving up on me."

"Thanks for not totally disowning me as your friend."

Again, Sky laughed. This time, Dusty did too.

* * *

Due to the extra stress on her mind, Sky decided to delve into a book she packed when she and Dusty flew out to Piston Peak. So engrossed in the novel, she didn't even notice Blade drifting off to sleep.

Nick nudged Sky before she could settle down to sleep herself. "Hey _Cuervo._ Can we talk for a minute?"

"I did want to ask you something, Nick." Sky said. "Back in that tunnel, you didn't leave to let Blade know what was happening. You stayed right by me the whole time."

Nick didn't like to remember those terrifying moments in the tunnel. The moment when Cad hit a wall and threw Sky off him. Or the moment when Cad nearly ran over Sky in his fit of hysterics. Or the moment when Sky nearly passed out from the heat. Nick thought he would die all over again.

"Nick?"

The ghost jumped when he realized Sky was repeating his name to get his attention. "Sorry."

"You still haven't answered me." Sky said.

Nick looked down. "I just…I was afraid to leave you. I thought something would happen if I left."

Sky frowned a little. "You know I can—"

"Yeah, I know, you can take care of yourself." Nick assured. "But that won't stop me from being there for you. That won't stop me from doing everything in my power to prevent you from getting hurt."

This level of dedication was different from what Sky saw out of Dusty. This seemed almost desperate, like Nick was ready to lay his life (if he had one) on the line for Sky's safety. Dusty would've locked her away to keep her safe. Nick would use himself as a shield. At least, that's what it seemed like.

"Thanks, Nick." Sky said. "But don't think that you have to keep protecting me. I'm ready for any kind of pain that's thrown at me. Heaven knows I've experienced all kinds."

Nick nodded in understanding. "It's just my job to have your back, Sky. That's all."

"That makes sense." Sky said. "We are a team, after all. We look out for each other." Nick nodded. Sky yawned a little. "Well, goodnight."

" _Buenos noches."_ Nick said. He settled down in his own corner to sleep. He made sure Sky couldn't see him as he silently berated himself. 'It's just my job'? Did he seriously just say that? He didn't mean it. Of course he didn't mean it! Why did his tongue get all twisted when he tried to tell her the truth?

 _Man, I'm doomed._ Nick groaned.


	5. Family Reunion

**Chapter Five – Family Reunion**

The rest of fire season passed without another major incident. No officers or anyone else came to talk to the firefighters about Cad, and nobody heard anything about the court verdict. So either Cad got away with it or the news was staying under wraps to avoid bad press for the park. Regardless of the verdict, Cad never did return to Piston Peak National Park, and Jammer assured the firefighters that he never will return. The team celebrated for that alone, and life moved on.

Despite having several chances to do so, Nick had yet to tell Sky about his feelings for her. Either the moment didn't feel right or they were always interrupted or Nick bailed out at the last second from fear. With fire season coming to a close, Nick would have to either wait until next fire season or find his bravery and go after her in Propwash Junction.

 _Why is this so hard?_ Nick wondered. He cast a look to Sky as she helped Maru inspect the water hoses. _This doesn't feel anything like when I was with those girls from the show. Then again, most of those were one-night-stands that Blade never stopped teasing me about._

Sky glanced towards Nick, who shook as though to refocus himself. The ghost disappeared. Sky chuckled and shook her head. "Ever notice Nick stares at me a lot?"

"I see it now and then." Maru shrugged. "Not sure what it could be."

Sky caught Maru's smirk. "Oh you know what it could be, Maru. Even with all your sass, you're the most observant out of all of us. Fess up."

"Can't say." Maru shrugged again.

"I'm going to figure it out sooner or later." Sky said.

"If you haven't figure it out by now, then I doubt it." Maru snorted.

"Well maybe I have a hunch and you just don't know it." Sky said sassily.

"And what hunch is that?" Maru asked.

A buzz on the intercom interrupted the conversation. _"Civilian approaching the base. I repeat, civilian approaching the base."_

"Saved by the Patch." Sky smirked. She jogged off to meet with Blade, leaving Maru to roll his eyes at her. Sky joined Blade as they approached the human coming onto the firefighting base. It appeared to be an older man with tanned skin, grey hair the color of a raincloud, and—oddly enough—the exact same color eyes as Sky. The man wore jeans, brown cowboy boots, and a white-and-green plaid shirt. His shoulder-length hair was pulled into a man bun, and he had a neatly-trimmed beard.

"Hello." The man greeted.

"Can we help you?" Blade asked. Always right to the point, as usual.

"I certainly hope so." The man stared at Sky with a friendly smile. He also seemed a bit awestruck, maybe excited. "You're Skylar Smith, right? Or do you go by Skylar Waller?"

Sky frowned, albeit suspiciously. "I don't go by either of those names."

The man chuckled. "Right, right, of course. You've been Skylar Riley for a long time."

"How do you know that?" Blade demanded.

"Oh dear I'm not being very clear." The man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, Skylar. You may not believe this, but I must come right out and say it: I'm Nathan, your maternal grandfather."

Sky and Blade stared in shock. "I'm sorry, what?" Sky asked.

"Can you prove this?" Blade asked.

"Well, here's a picture of me holding you when you were a baby." Nathan pulled out his wallet and produced said picture. "And here are some pictures of me and my daughter, Skylar's mother."

The pictures did look convincing. Sky recognized the younger version of her mother. "I'm not sure I'm convinced."

"Then let me show you." Nathan held out his hands. "May I?"

Sky and Blade shared a look, and then stepped closer. Nathan held Sky's hand with one hand and pressed his palm to Blade's muzzle. Nathan's irises turned white, as did Sky's and Blade's. Before their eyes, a memory appeared. They saw a younger version of Nathan—one with darker hair—sitting in a living room and reading a story to an infant with black hair and eyes like his. The memory disappeared, and Nathan grinned. He showed them a mark on his palm: a psyche human birthmark in the shape of a snowflake. Nathan held his hand out, palm up, and a firework of snow shot from his hand and exploded above them. Thanks to the lingering August heat, the snow melted in seconds. But it was proof enough.

"Wow." Sky breathed. "You're…you're really…"

"It's good to see you again, Skylar." Nathan said.

Sky laughed in her glee, and she suddenly hugged Nathan. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"That's a bit of a long story." Nathan said. "But if you'd like to hear it, and if I'm not taking up much of your time….."

"We only need to leave if we hear a siren." Blade assured. "Come on. Let's talk."

"CAN WE COME?"

Sky, Blade, and Nathan looked around to see the rest of the firefighters gathered around. They stared at Sky's grandfather as though he were an exotic animal at the zoo.

In minutes, everyone gathered in the main hanger to hear Nathan talk. Sky sat right next to her grandfather, attentive and smiling all the while.

Nathan studied Sky's face. "You know, you're the spitting image of my wife. She's your namesake, you know."

"Wow." Sky breathed.

"So if you're Sky's grandfather, why didn't you adopt her when her parents left?" Dusty asked.

"Well, I rarely got to see Skylar in the first place." Nathan said. "I live on a reserve with a clan of psyche humans known as Psikearen. We're a branch of Basque people who are known for our exceptional psyche human abilities. Your mother was once part of that clan, but she believed she didn't belong there because she wasn't born a psyche human. I suppose she didn't like living there, anyway. She left, and for the longest time I didn't know what happened to her. Heck, I had no idea she even had a child. My own daughter didn't tell me she had a child. She did let it slip to my wife—bless her soul—who told me, and I came to see you. I had to return to the clan soon after I came out to see you. I'm their leader, after all. I managed to fit in a few visits here and there while you were growing up. Then, one day, I flew out to see you, and you and your parents were gone. Moved away, or so I assumed. Your mother never contacted me again, and I was left in the dark, wondering what happened to you."

"Did you have a very good relationship with Sky's mom?" Drip asked.

"In hindsight, probably not." Nathan admitted. "As my daughter, she was next in line for the role of leader to our people. That surely put a lot of pressure on her, especially since she didn't have psych-man abilities. Of course, there are several members of our clan who aren't psych-mans. I tried to assure her that her child could take over if she didn't want the job. Then she met her husband, and the next thing I know she's off and moving halfway across the country." Nathan sighed and shook his head. "Your mother was a rather bitter woman, Skylar. Don't be too hard on her. She herself intensified the mild pressure I put on her, and I don't think I could've stopped it. It's like she thought being the daughter of the chief meant everyone had high expectations for her. I expected her to be a leader, not a deity for heaven's sake."

"So I guess you found out about Sky recently?" Dipper said.

"That's right." Nathan confirmed. "I'm a racing fan myself, and I watched everything from Lightning McQueen to the Wings Around the Globe. I saw Skylar's races with Mr. Crophopper, and I even read about the incident at the Academy of Psyche Students. But it didn't click until your sister CJ contacted me. Found my number in her mother's contacts book. She told me everything that happened, and that you were my granddaughter. I knew I had to come out and see you again. Rebuild that relationship I wanted to have with you when you were a child. If you wish, that is."

"That would be great." Sky said, hugging Nathan again. "It would be nice to have a better relationship with my family than the one I have with my parents. CJ and I stay in touch, but my…..that is, _her_ parents, don't like me very much."

"I can't imagine why." Nathan said. "You're such an amazing young woman." Sky blushed, and Nathan hugged her again. "I'm serious, Skylar. You've done some incredible things. I don't understand why your parents would give you up and then cut you off completely."

"Well, I did punch my biological dad in the nose, so that could've contributed to it." Sky shrugged. Most of the Smokejumpers snickered.

Nathan chuckled. "Enough about me! Tell me of your abilities. You are part of my clan, which means you must have some strong powers."

"Sky has _two_ powers!" Dusty said proudly. "And two Soul Connect Partners!"

"Really?" Nathan blinked in surprise. "Incredible."

Sky blushed again. "Well, yeah. It's pretty cool. I have pyrokinesis and the power of dreamscape."

"Dreamscape?" Nathan mused. "A very rare power indeed. And two Partners? Practically unheard of!"

"One of them is a Navy veteran and my surrogate dad." Sky explained. "But Chief Blade Ranger here was the first Partner I found."

"And I assume you watch over her during firefighting, yes?" Nathan asked Blade.

"Absolutely." Blade nodded. "Raven has become a solid member of this team, and she is a very dear friend. She's been helpful with some of the more personal problems on the base."

"That's my girl." Nathan tousled Sky's hair, making her giggle.

"What about you?" Sky asked. "Do you have a Soul Connect Partner?"

"Yes, but he passed away some years ago." Nathan said. "He's the reason my ice and snow abilities are so strong."

"Blade and I have been practicing with my dreamscape and pyro powers too." Sky said. "And Skipper helps when I'm back home in Propwash Junction."

"Skipper is Sky's dad." Dusty clarified at Nathan's questioning glance. "He adopted her when she was a kid."

"How did that happen?" Nathan asked.

"It's a long story." Sky said uncertainly.

"Well I'm certainly not going anywhere." Nathan laughed.

"And neither are we!" Dipper said excitedly. Blade and Cabbie rolled their eyes at the rest of the team's excitement. Windlifter remained passive.

Sky shook her head. "All right. Well, it's important to know that when I was a kid, I didn't have the best attitude about….well, anything…"

* * *

Nathan stayed on the base for the rest of the day. He learned of Sky's story from when she was adopted by Skipper to the incident at APS. He even video-chatted with Skipper, who was delighted to meet another of Sky's family who was actually nice. Sparky especially liked to talk with Nathan.

After Nathan went back to his room at the lodge, Sky decided to announce the day's revelation to Harley and Katherine.

 _"That's so great, Sky!"_ Harley said during the video chat. _"I'm so happy for you."_

 _"Your family is expanding more and more every year, it seems."_ Katherine said.

"It's so great." Sky sighed, relief in her tone. "I don't remember my biological family, and I always thought they were just as bad as my parents. To meet Nathan and learn how nice he is compared to my parents is really kind of a relief. Now I have a grandfather to go with my sister and everyone else in my family."

 _"It is a relief."_ Harley said. _"I got to meet an aunt I didn't know I had, and she turned out to be very uncaring and mean. I'm so glad this worked out."_

"Can you believe there are other psyche humans with strong powers like me?" Sky said. "This clan Nathan rules sounds really cool."

 _"I wonder why they're so much more powerful."_ Katherine asked.

"It may have something to do with our origins." Sky said. "Maybe I just have a history of really powerful psych-mans."

 _"You know, what if we took this question to the next level?"_ Harley suggested. She had a light in her eyes that indicated she had an idea. _"Hey, who wants to join me in finding out where we come from?"_

"Where we come from?" Sky repeated.

 _"Like the origins of psyche humans?"_ Katherine asked.

 _"Why not?"_ Harley shrugged. _"We have questions that can't be answered because so few people have put legitimate effort into researching us. Any research that has been done isn't sufficient. So let's do our own research and find our own answers!"_

 _"I guess we do have the most resources."_ Katherine mused.

"Well, fire season is ending soon." Sky said thoughtfully. "And I won't have anything to do until racing season kicks up in October."

 _"Between your grandfather and what we can do at C.H.R.O.M.E., I think we can do it!"_ Harley said assuredly.

"Let's have our Soul Connect Partners come too." Sky said. "They deserve answers as much as we do."

 _"Our Partners are a part of us just as much as our powers."_ Katherine added.

 _"Then I think we have a plan!"_ Harley said. _"Sky, you let us know when you're off fire season. We're going to get answers!"_

* * *

 **A/N: Fun fact for you guys: "Psikearen" is Basque for "psyche."**

 **This chapter may be a bit shorter than the others, but I just couldn't write any more on it. There was nothing more to say. But the next chapters should be more compelling!**


	6. Psyche Mythology

**Chapter Six – Psyche Mythology**

"So you think C.H.R.O.M.E.'s library will have the answers we need?" Harley asked. She, Finn, Katherine, and Leland journeyed through London to the secret location of C.H.R.O.M.E.'s library.

"At the very least, it will give us a good start." Finn said. "C.H.R.O.M.E.'s library is sort of like the Library of Congress in the States. There are books and documents on every subject in there. Surely we'll find something in the collection to help us."

"How long until we get there?" Katherine asked. Since becoming a member of C.H.R.O.M.E., she sat in an updated wheelchair that had a sleek design ideal for smooth riding. The chair also had numerous gadgets and technologies to help her with spy work. Leland sometimes pushed her along so she wouldn't tire out her arms, despite Katherine's laughing at his fretful attitude towards her. Leland had taken on a brotherly role with her ever since they discovered he was her Partner.

"Almost there." Finn answered Katherine. He led them into what looked like a secondhand bookshop. The middle-aged human behind the desk distractedly waved to them as they entered. His focus stayed mostly on his newspaper. Harley knew the shopkeeper well, and she knew he had a firearm hidden under the desk in case of an attack. Finn continued through the empty shop and right past the curtain leading to the "Employees Only" section. Then he went to the computer and typed a few things. The bookshelf on the wall swung open, allowing the spies to enter an elevator which took them to the most secretive library in the world. Harley and Katherine couldn't even see the other wall through all the bookshelves and tomes in the ginormous room. At the very front of the room stood a computer.

"First things first: we need to narrow our search so we know which section to look through." Leland said.

Katherine wheeled herself to the computer. "Let's see…why don't try 'psyche humans.'" She typed it in, and hundreds of results popped up. "Okay, let's narrow it down and add 'history.' That should give us a good start." Once she entered it in, the results were reduced to about a third its size.

"It looks like there's an entire section on it." Harley noted. "Right there. Section A, Shelf 113." The spies headed that way, undaunted by the sheer volume of texts that awaited them. Each of them started at a different section of the shelves, and they started perusing the books.

After about an hour, Harley spoke up. "Here's something interesting. There are several accounts of psyche humans throughout history, mainly famous ones who did cool things. But the one thing I'm seeing most off is the involvement of psyche humans during the Salem Witch Trials."

"The Salem Witch Trials?" Finn repeated in confusion.

"Oh right! Those were the witch hunts in Massachusetts in the early 1600s, yes?" Leland asked.

"A dozen people died, and several more imprisoned, just because paranoid religious followers believed them to be working for the devil." Katherine shook her head. "Astonishing, really."

"Keep that in mind, and listen to this." Harley read aloud from the book she held.

 _Many scholars believe the Salem Witch Trials began with a house servant named Tituba, who reportedly caused the sickness of her master's youngest daughter. Tituba claimed she was only healing the girl, implying that she used healing abilities similar to those of the modern-day psyche human. The relationship between psych-mans and non-psych-mans at this era was rife with prejudice and fear, so it is no wonder that this is the first mentioning of psyche humans in North America._

"But we've since found evidence of psyche humans in North America before English settlers arrived." Katherine pointed out.

"This book was published in the early 90s." Harley explained before continuing.

 _During what would later be known as the Salem Witch Trials, evidence suggests that more than half of the victims prosecuted and executed were actually psych-mans in hiding. Any reports of magic or 'witchcraft' could be explained as a psych-man's supernatural abilities._

"Interesting." Finn mused.

"Does this mean psyche humans originate in the States?" Leland asked. "Perhaps within the tribes of the indigenous people who lived there long before settlers arrived?"

"It's possible." Harley said. "Except there were no Native Americans living in the settlements like where the Salem Witch Trials were held. Let's give Sky a call and see if she found anything."

The quartet of spies exited the library and traveled down to a nearby café. They would need to be outside the library and its signal-scrambling walls to make their call. Harley pulled out her phone and made the call, putting it on speakerphone.

" _Hey Harley!"_ Sky answered after the second ring. _"How's the research?"_

"Coming along pretty well." Harley said. "What about you?"

" _Great! Nick, Sparky, and Nathan are lending their services to our little research adventure."_ Sky said. _"Sparky called a friend of his in the Library of Congress archives, and we got some good information. According to personal accounts from English settlers, there were several encounters with psyche humans. One guy wrote about meeting 'people with mystic abilities, much like ones I heard of in my homeland.' That mean anything to you?"_

"It means our lead about the Salem Witch Trials doesn't sound too far-fetched." Harley said. "It's believed that many of the so-called 'witches' were really just psyche humans, who originally tried to hide their abilities."

"If settlers encountered psych-mans in the New World and back in Europe, that would suggest that psyche-mans are more spread out than we previously assumed." Katherine pointed out.

" _What if it all originated in Europe, though?"_ Sky suggested. _"Maybe psych-man abilities are like a mutation of a gene. We have no idea if the psych-mans in the colonial era were purebred Native Americans or the product of a native and a settler."_

" _If I may offer some input."_ Nathan came on the line now. _"My tribe consists of psych-mans who come from some of the oldest lines of psych-man ancestries. We were originally part of the Basque people, but it is unsure how or when they separated from the Basque as a sub-tribe."_

"I think we need to head to Salem." Finn suggested. "Right now, the Salem Witch Trials is our only lead. Let's follow it."

" _Sounds good to me."_ Sky agreed.

"Great." Harley nodded. "We'll see you there!" She hung up and dialed another number. "Hey Siddeley? How soon can you be ready to fly?"

* * *

Skipper and Blade were more than willing to fly Sky and Nathan over to Massachusetts. There was just enough room in Blade's hoist hatch for the two psych-mans. Nick flew with them too, insistent that he not miss anything.

Nathan fell asleep on the way there. He did mention before they took off that long flights made him sleepy. Sky messed around on her laptop, trying to be quiet to let her grandfather rest. It still boggled her mind to think that the man beside her was her grandfather, someone of her biological family who was actually proud of her. The thought still made her smile and laugh to herself.

As she randomly went through files on her computer, Sky came across a folder she recently made, and she clicked on it eagerly. These were the emails she and Dusty sent to each other to work out their argument during fire season. The fight seemed like so long ago. Dusty couldn't join them on their research adventure. He had to stay home and help Ishani. The poor female racer had fallen ill, and Dusty considered it his husbandly duty to take care of her.

Sky opened the first letter and silently read it to herself.

 _Dear Sky,_

 _All right, here goes nothing. Let's see if writing out our thoughts helps us work through this._

 _I'll start with the points from our fight at the beginning of fire season. I think you have been taking too many risks. I understand that racing is dangerous, and who knows what could've happened if Blackwood had hit us? I freaked out when you jumped because I was just shocked that you did something so daring. To be honest, it_ _was_ _kind of cool. Yeah, we do some pretty dangerous stunts during races, but they're stunts that we practiced. So the next time we want to do something like you jumping off me and landing again, maybe we should practice it first. Then we could even come up with a code name for the stunt!_

 _Here's the important part of that argument. I called you fragile, and that just wasn't right. You're a human, and you're going to get injured in ways a vehicle doesn't. When I dwell on that thought, it sounds so much worse than it actually is. I keep thinking about it, and it seems like it's more likely to happen the more I think about it. But you're physically and mentally strong, Sky. I admire that power you have. The thought of you getting hurt—like the way you were hurt in our first Wings Around the Globe—terrifies me. But that's all on me. It has nothing to do with anything you've done._

 _Blade talked to me after our little spat. He told me that orphans and foster kids who come from situations like yours tend to have this mindset that they always have to prove themselves. Like they feel as if they need to show they're worthy of existing or something. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like you have this kind of mentality. Like you have to show everyone how strong you are. It's like proving yourself was your motivation to race. Maybe it's hard to break that mindset, even after you cut your birth parents out of your life._

 _You know, I'm still a little jealous of your Soul Connection with Blade. But we have a bond that was forged over time and rests in our friendship. I want to keep that bond._

 _What do you think? Take your time with a response._

 _Dusty_

Sky looked over the letter she sent back to Dusty.

 _Dear Dusty,_

 _I think this could work for us!_

 _First off, maybe I have been doing things that are a little too dangerous. Might just be a competitive side of me that comes out when we race. That's one of the reasons I consider it a minor thing. That, and I'm confident in my abilities during races, so being told I can't do something makes me angry. But you have to know that I often do what I do so that we both make it out of a race uninjured. Our crash in the Wings Around the Globe terrified me too. I thought I would lose you. Maybe we_ _should_ _make up new techniques and practice them! But maybe when Dad isn't watching. LOL. I say our code name for that flipping move is Dodge Backflip._

 _It's not easy to admit, but yes. I'm a human. I will get hurt in ways vehicles can't. But that won't stop me from doing what I love. And you're right. The more you think about the fear of me getting hurt, the more likely I will get hurt. Keep freaking out like that, and you'll overcorrect or do something that will actually hurt me. Remember my flip? If you had slowed down any more than you already did, I would have hit your propeller._

 _That's an interesting point Blade brought up, and I think he's right. I may have cut off all ties with my birth parents, but sometimes I still feel like I have to rub my success in their faces. Someday, I'll learn to fully let go and stop caring._

 _Don't be jealous of my Soul Connections. Those were meant to be. What we have is special. We're a team, a family, and nothing will change that. But don't fuss over me like you tend to do. Try to stay calm and just let me do my thing. I hate it when people fuss over me._

 _Sky_

Dusty's reply was shorter, and the emails switched to something akin to instant-messaging between the two.

 _Sky,_

 _Nothing wrong with a little competitiveness. I'm the same way. I think we need to talk more about different strategies, even unconventional ones. Getting out of a race safely (or even minorly injured instead of majorly injured) is more important than winning. Let's talk about that when we're on better speaking terms! If we talk more about that, we can ensure that we trust each other enough to do those cool stunts without either one of us fearing the other will be hurt._

 _I'll try to not fuss, but I have one important question: do you really feel like you have to prove yourself to your birth parents?_

 _Dusty_

 _Dear Dusty,_

 _We will definitely work on new techniques. That could be fun!_

 _To be honest, I think I do still feel like I have to prove myself. My birth parents are out of my life for good. That's not going to change. But I did spend a large chunk of time wondering why they gave me up, and asking myself why I wasn't worthy of being their daughter. But I blocked out those feelings so I wouldn't be hurt by them anymore. That's why I hate it when people fuss over me. It's like I'm being thrown a pity party, and that's so not cool. It's embarrassing and dumb. I don't need pity and I don't need people to worry about me._

 _You understand?_

 _Sky_

 _Dear Sky,_

 _Yeah, maybe people do pity you sometimes. You're the victim of abandonment, Sky. That's a horrible thing to happen to someone, especially a kid. I hate parents who do what your parents did. I know it's not always the case for orphans, but the fact that your parents were so cruel just makes me so mad. No one is throwing you a pity party, Sky. It's just sad to think that someone as wonderful as you was treated that way by your parents._

 _Dusty_

 _Dear Dusty,_

 _If I had to be honest, it makes me mad to know that mentality still affects me. I thought I moved past it, but I'm still affected by it sometimes. I thought I was stronger than that._

 _Sky_

 _Dear Sky,_

 _You won't have to beat yourself up over it. You_ _are_ _strong. Psychology is a weird thing. You'll grow and change. No worries._

 _Dusty_

 _Dear Dusty,_

 _Thank you._

 _Dear Sky,_

 _You're welcome._

Sky closed her laptop and sighed silently with a smile on her lips. _This is so much better. We finally found a way to discuss whatever problem we're going through._

* * *

The two groups of travelers met at the airport, and they headed into Salem to continue their research.

"Did you know that twenty years after the Salem Witch Trials ended, a psych-man and a vehicle nearly leveled the town for revenge against the prosecuted witches?" Sky pointed out as they exited the museum. "Supposedly, the psych-man used his new abilities gained from his Soul Connection solely to get revenge, and he and his Partner were killed during their attack."

"Incredible how paranoid people can be." Finn mused.

"You realize the people of the Salem Witch Trials were most likely settlers from England?" Nick pointed out. Blade gave his rotors a twirl, whacking Nick's canopy.

"The bad news is this did not help us like I thought it would." Harley said. "Even if we guess that psyche humans originated in Europe, that seems to be a dead end. It's not a definite answer, and I don't know where else to look."

Sky heard music, and she realized it came from her pocket. She checked the caller ID and answered with surprise in her tone. "Hey CJ. Wasn't expecting a call from you today."

" _Hey sis!"_ CJ greeted. _"I was just wondering if you made much progress on that psych-man origin research you were telling me about."_

"Well, funny you mention that." Sky said. "We've just hit a dead end. Not really sure which direction to take our findings."

" _I went to one of the history teachers at my university, who also did a bit of studying into psych-man origins. He did it for his doctoral thesis."_ CJ explained. _"He didn't find much, and he asks that you pass on any info you find to him. But he did say that he got close to figuring it out when he started looking at mythology."_

"Mythology?" Sky repeated.

" _Yeah. There are plenty of origin stories for normal humans, and even for vehicles."_ CJ said. _"Maybe you'll find another clue there."_

"That's a great idea, CJ! Thanks!" Sky said.

" _Just let me know what you find!"_ CJ said. _"I have to go get my textbooks. Talk to you later?"_

"Totally. Bye, CJ!" Sky hung up. "We may have another lead after all."

"Through mythology?" Skipper asked quizzically.

"That actually makes sense." Harley said. "The 'witches' of the Salem Witch Trials were often associated with anti-Christ or the devil."

"So if we look at the situation from the standpoint of mythology or even religion, maybe we'll find another direction to take." Katherine said. "The way certain people are portrayed in stories can imply the way society treated them during different time periods."

"Next stop: the library." Blade suggested.

* * *

Everyone regrouped at a restaurant for lunch to discuss their findings. Sky, Nick, Nathan, Skipper, and Blade got there first, and Sky decided to video chat with Ishani.

" _Hello Skylar!"_ Ishani greeted.

"Hey there! How are you feeling?" Sky asked.

" _Oh, I'm fine."_ Ishani assured.

" _Throwing up everything you eat is not fine!"_ Dusty called from the background.

Ishani rolled her eyes and laughed. _"He's been fussing and fretting over me for days."_

"Sounds like you should go to the doctor or something." Skipper said.

" _I'm sure it's just a bit of food poisoning."_ Ishani said. _"If it sticks around for longer than a week, I'll consider it. But enough about me! What's going on with you?"_

"Still hot on the research trail." Sky said.

"We were wondering if psyche humans were ever mentioned in Hindu mythology." Blade said.

"Or can you tell us anything about the perceptions and maybe misconceptions about psyche humans in Indian history?" Nathan added.

" _Actually, India has a rich history of psyche human involvement."_ Ishani said. _"For centuries, psyche humans were shamans who guided villages and predicted the future. Even today, they're highly respected. In terms of mythology, the belief is that psyche humans are humans who were blessed by the patron god of oaths and friendship: Mitra. Some legends say that psyche humans are descendants of Mitra."_

"A god of oaths and friendship?" Nick repeated.

"No, that makes sense." Blade said. "Think about the Soul Connections."

"Ishani, this was very helpful. Thank you." Sky said. "Now go rest up and get well soon."

" _Thank you. I'm glad I could help. Travel safely!"_ Ishani said. _"Dusty, say 'goodbye'!"_

" _Bye!"_ Dusty called from another room.

Sky laughed and shut off her laptop. "Poor Dusty must be a nervous wreck."

"I told him he can always asked Sparky for help." Skipper sighed. "I might have to order Sparky to go check up on them."

"Hey guys!" Harley waved as she, Katherine, and their Partners arrived and took their spots at the table.

"You guys look cheery." Skipper noted. "I take it you found good information?"

"Oh yeah." Harley nodded. "What about you?"

Sky relayed what Ishani told them, and Katherine pulled out her laptop. "Harley, Finn, Leland, and I searched in several different mythologies: Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Thailand and East Asia, and plenty more. We found different legends connected to deities like Athena, Vesta, Bast, and Heka."

"It seems like psyche humans appear in almost every form of mythology, save for Christianity." Finn said. "Which could explain why they were seen as witches. There's a rather fascinating history of psyche humans during the Dark Ages."

"And what did you find out when you read these myths and legends?" Blade asked.

"Psyche humans were seen as spirits, children of deities, and mystical beings like soothsayers and sorcerers." Harley said. "They were otherworldly, which sometimes was a good thing and sometimes a bad thing."

"So this tells us what?" Nathan asked.

"If myths describe psych-mans as soothsayers and shamans, then we can educationally guess that they truly played those roles in ancient societies." Katherine said. "I think it's safe to say our powers didn't start showing up in the Stone Age. But the psyche humans were already established in the early civilizations."

Harley took over Katherine's laptop and typed a few things. "Let's see. The Old World, aka the Cradle of Civilization, consisted of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, and China. That's a lot of ground to cover."

"Grandpa, where did your tribe come from?" Sky asked. "What are your origins?"

"Well we were simply a sub-tribe of the Basque people." Nathan reminded her. "A wondrous group of people, really. Our native region covers France and Spain."

"Ah, but Basque tribes have often been mentioned by Greek and Roman writers." Harley said, her eyes glued to the computer in front of her. "That's pretty close to Mesopotamia."

"In what way?" Sky asked curiously.

"That region was conquered by both the Greeks and Romans." Katherine explained. "So its history may be preserved, or at least explained through the eyes of the people who lived there."

"But if my grandpa's tribe is part of an old line of psyche humans, maybe we need to check Basque Country first." Sky suggested.

"Let's do both." Skipper offered.

"Both countries are going to have old enough records for us to check." Blade agreed. "If we split up, we'll cover the distance in less time."

"Then we'll do this: Harley, Katherine, Leland, and myself will go to Mesopotamia for our research." Finn said. "The rest of you head to Basque Country."

"Dad, Blade, are you sure you can fly that far?" Sky asked nervously. "I didn't think our research would take us out of the country."

"Well you're certainly not going without us." Blade scoffed.

"We're right with you every mile of the way, Sky." Skipper nodded firmly.

"And you won't have to worry about the distance, Ms. Riley." Finn said. "Siddeley can take us. There's room for all of us, especially if you fold your wings in, Commander."

"As long as your jet's okay with it." Skipper said.

"Siddeley enjoys the adventure." Harley assured. "He considers it a vacation."

"We can leave later tonight, and then we can sleep on the way there." Katherine suggested.

"Good idea." Nathan agreed. "And when we get to Basque Country, you will all stay in my summer home."

"Is there enough room?" Nick asked.

"Oh plenty." Nathan assured. "Although one or two of you may need to sleep in the barn."

"Ha!" Nick laughed at Blade. "Bet that'll be you, partner." Blade twirled his rotors again, whacking Nick in the canopy. Nick yelped in pain, forgetting that he was invisible but not intangible at the moment.

"Oops." Blade said with a smirk.


	7. The Megami-Hito

**Chapter Seven – The Megami-Hito**

After dropping off Sky, her Partners, Nathan, and Nick, Siddeley transported the spies of the group to their destinations. Harley pointed out that the modern-day countries that made up Mesopotamia were not the safest place for Americans or even British people to be. Since they deduced that the Greeks and Romans claimed Mesopotamia for the longest time, it made the most sense to visit Greece and Rome and see what information could be garnered there. Katherine and Leland went to a Roman library while Harley and Finn visited a museum in Greece.

Inside the museum, Harley and Finn saw plenty of ancient artefacts and old texts. What mattered to them was any mention of psyche humans.

"Take a look at this, Harley." Finn waved his Partner over to an informational plaque below a short Greek statue. The statue depicted a young woman in religious garb. "This says that psyche humans played a large role in Greek society through their work as priests and priestesses. Though their Soul Connect Partners were not allowed to live in the temples, psyche humans acted as advisors and speakers for the gods."

"How fascinating." Harley breathed. "So, if you were a psyche human, were you automatically admitted into a temple?"

"It looks that way." Finn said. "But now look at this." He led her to another part of the museum, this one showing an image of a picture taken at an old temple. The priests and priestesses shown in the painting had different skin tones. "This says that the psych-mans in the Greek temples not only came from Greek villages, but were also former slaves from other countries."

Harley tapped her lip in thought. "I'm going to the loo." She walked off towards the restrooms. Luckily, she saw no one else in the other stalls on her way to the stall farthest from the doorway. Harley slipped inside and locked the door. It seemed weird at first, but Harley quickly learned that sometimes the best place to secretly look up information was in the privacy of a bathroom, especially a public one.

Going to her watch, Harley pulled up a holographic computer screen similar to Holley's. She pulled up an online search page and typed in "religion of slaves." Since becoming a spy, Harley developed an uncanny skill for finding information quickly and storing it immediately. When she found as much as she could from one search, she would add words to narrow things down, and then add the new information to what she already knew. Harley spent the next several minutes doing this, searching and re-searching things until she couldn't find anything more, which only frustrated her.

Finn waited outside for Harley to return, and he noticed her eyebrows furrowed in the way they did when she thought really hard about something. "That's not a good face. What did you find?"

"At first, a lot. Then I hit a dead end." Harley explained as they moved down the street. "The slaves in Europe and the Americas, even after they were taken from their homes, still worshipped the gods of their ancestral religion. They did it in secret, of course, but there is evidence of secret shrines and archeologists have discovered old sacred relics with the belongings of these slaves. Some of the slaves' descendants even passed down the relics in their families. Now these are old religions that are only practiced in pockets of the world today. They worship a pantheon of deities and spirits. In every sacred practice I found, they mention a 'psychic deity.'"

"So a deity who oversees people with psychic abilities, like a psyche human." Finn guessed. "What did you find out about this deity?"

"That's just it. I didn't find anything after that." Harley said, frustration in her tone. "There are a few legends, but not much else beyond that."

"A psychic deity." Finn mused. "That does sound close to what we're looking for."

"You don't think we've strayed too far by looking at mythology and religion?" Harley asked. "I mean, I believe in ghosts and all that jazz—seeing Leland, my dad, and Stanley has proved that, and Katherine's abilities further confirmed it—but shouldn't we focus more on genetics and actual science?"

"Perhaps not." Finn said. "I, too, lean more on the side of facts instead of faith. But there are some things we simply can't explain. Take your abilities as a psych-man, for instance. You may have a genetic makeup linked to your powers, but that doesn't mean they can be remade and put into someone else. Scientists have been trying to do that for years, to no avail. This little adventure of ours is taking down spiritual roads, and that may be just what we need."

Harley nodded in understanding and agreement. "Let's call Katherine and Leland. Maybe they found something." She took out her mobile phone and pressed the speed-dial for Katherine. After two rings, Katherine answered. "Hey Kat, what's up?"

" _Well, we did make a little progress."_ Katherine said. _"Found good information at the library."_

"Great." Harley said. "Tell me this: did you come across anything that mentioned a psychic god or goddess? In any religion?"

" _Spot on, Harley."_ Katherine confirmed. _"That's the psychic goddess mentioned in the religions of slaves in Europe and the Americas?"_

"Exactly!" Harley cheered silently. "What did you find?"

" _Unfortunately, not much."_ Katherine admitted. _"We've found a couple legends about the goddess and her interactions with psyche humans. Sometimes psyche humans were honored by villages for their powers. Other times, shunned. No matter what happened, though, this goddess seemed to be around to guide the psych-man."_

"And you didn't find anything else?" Harley asked, groaning a little.

" _I found one research article on this goddess, and the entire paper just criticized the idea that she existed in the first place."_ Katherine huffed. _"If she did exist, no one knows what religion she originally came from."_

"What are you talking about?" Harley asked.

" _Well, she has the same description across these old myths, but she never takes the same form."_ Katherine explained. _"In some mythologies, she's a goddess. In others, a fairy or other spirit. One legend even claimed she was a sort of demon. There doesn't seem to be any kind of trail to follow to find where this goddess originally came from."_

"That actually makes sense." Harley shrugged. "When missionaries forcefully spread their beliefs and tried to stomp out the local religion, the indigenous people would hide their relics and stories to preserve them. Or, in some cases, that religion is carried by oral tradition."

" _Neither of which helps us."_ Katherine said. _"I've been working on a research essay about all this, and the information we are finding isn't helping."_

Finn had tapped into the conversation, and he thought for a moment. "What about Ms. Riley's grandfather? His tribe belongs to an old line of psyche humans. Maybe they worshipped this goddess once."

"I think that's the only lead we got right now." Harley said. "Katherine, call Siddeley, would you? We're going to Basque Country."

* * *

Nathan's home had plenty of room for both humans and vehicles, something he credited to sharing his house with his Soul Connect Partner. Unfortunately, due to wingspan and a long tail, both Skipper and Blade had to share the large barn for a sleeping space.

The next day, Nathan explained Basque religion to Sky, Blade, Skipper, and Nick.

"Before being Catholics, the Basque worshipped a goddess known as Mari." Nathan said as they walked through town. "She was often associated with the weather. The Basque didn't have elaborate and ornate temples until they converted to Christianity. They worshipped out in the natural world, and it was the same with the Psikearen. We worshipped the old gods and spirits, whom we believed connected us to the earth."

"So how do we find out more about these old gods and spirits?" Sky asked.

"That, my dear, is a mission for the museum." Nathan directed them to an old building across the street, where they split up and started their research in different parts of the museum.

Sky and Nick came across a section on religion, yet all they found was more information about psych-man soothsayers and priests. "This isn't nearly as helpful as I thought it would be." Sky sighed.

"But it was a good train of thought." Nick whispered in her ear. He had to stay invisible in such a crowded space, and keep his voice down in case someone heard him.

Sky felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. The caller ID read "Racer Skater." Sky answered the phone. "Hey Harley, what's up?"

" _Not a lot."_ Harley said. _"We're heading to Sid, on our way to Basque Country. Just wanted to update you on what we found."_ She described the information she gathered from the museum and the information Katherine found at the library.

"Okay, that's a lot of what we're finding here." Sky sighed. "Not helpful."

" _Well, we'll lend our expertise when we get there."_ Harley said. _"I'll asked Holley to look up some C.H.R.O.M.E. contacts in Spain and France."_

"All right. See you soon." Sky hung up and stuffed her phone in her pocket. She turned on her heel and marched right out of the museum. Nick scrambled to keep up.

"Hey, where are you going?" Nick asked as Sky hopped down the steps of the museum.

"I need air and a distraction." Sky said.

"I thought you were rippin' and roarin' and ready for action on this thing." Nick pointed out.

"Yes, but we keep hitting dead ends." Sky complained. "I need to set aside time to relax and rethink this. Hey, a bookstore!"

Nick had to hurry after her yet again when Sky cross the street to a secondhand bookshop. "You are far too easily distracted."

"Only by books." Sky shrugged as she entered the shop.

"Your dad is going to freak out." Nick warned.

"He's not going to freak out that much." Sky assured. "I'm going to look in the mythology section."

Nick cracked a grin. Sky would never do anything to hurt her family. Still, she did have her rebellious moments. Nick followed Sky through the bookshop. Even in the extensive mythology section, there were very few answers. Sky did find a few myths about the goddess Mari and stories about the spirits the Psikearen recognized. Nothing much more than that. So Sky just browsed. She loved being in bookstores. Every tome held an entire new world for her to experience. Sometimes it felt like she could get high on the smell of old books.

While perusing the art books, Sky noticed one book spine that looked older than the others. She pulled the book down and found it to be a leather cover with brightly-colored string on the binding and spine. Sky flipped through the pages. Though the pages crinkled and were yellow from age, they were surprisingly intact. Each page had an image on it with some text beneath each photo.

"What did you find?" Nick asked.

"An old book that I want." Sky snapped the book shut and went to the cashier desk at the front of the store.

The college-age man behind the counter took the book and said something in Spanish.

"Um….." Sky thought for a moment. _"No habla Español."_

"Oh, an American!" the man said. "Sorry. You look Spanish or Basque."

"My grandfather is Basque." Sky said.

"Finding heritage?" the man asked.

"Yeah, you could say that." Sky nodded.

The man looked over the book again. "Very interesting book. I hope you enjoy. I also like books that are a hundred years old."

"Well, I think old books are—" Sky paused. "Wait, a hundred years old?"

"Yes. This book was in the shop when my grandfather was a teenager." The man said.

"Really?" Sky asked.

"Yes, he got it and many books from Megami." The man explained as he rung up the book.

Sky handed him the money for the book. "Was Megami a sister or a cousin? Maybe his girlfriend?"

"No, no, my grandmother was not Megami." The man said. "The book was old when it came in, too."

Sky nodded slowly. "Huh, cool. Well, thanks!" She left the shop, Nick floating behind her. She stared at the book.

"I never understood people who read old books." Nick said. "How can you understand anything when it's written in an old version of a language?"

"I think it's more of an aesthetic." Sky shrugged. "Besides, this book is just full of pictures." Sky suddenly stopped walking. "Nick, look at this."

Nick looked over her shoulder. Sky opened only the front cover, and Nick saw a faded ink stamp on the inside of the cover. "Wait, isn't that—"

"It's the same symbol as the one on my amulet." Sky pulled from the collar of her shirt the amulet Nick gave her. Within the circle of colorful stones in the amulet was a symbol stamped in the metal. The symbol on the amulet matched the one in the book perfectly.

"Whoa." Nick breathed. "What are the odds?"

"This is not coincidental, Nick." Sky said. She slipped into an alleyway so no one would see her talking to nothing. Nick materialized in front of her. "Tell me again where you found the amulet."

"In the ashes of a fire." Nick said. "Maru made a bonfire one night, and I swore I saw something glittering in the flames. I thought it was a bit of metal or something in one of the logs. The next morning, I found the amulet in the ashes. It was completely unscathed, which I found weird, but I figured something cool like that would be—"

"Nick!" Sky snapped to stop his rambling. "Where exactly did Maru get that firewood?"

"He just bought it in California." Nick said. "Local vendor south of Piston Peak Park. The guy chopped down an old tree that was about to fall down, and Maru bought a bundle of it. Why?"

"Back to the museum!" Sky ordered, running out and not waiting for Nick to catch up. When they reached the museum, they found Nathan, Blade, and Skipper waiting outside.

"Where have you been?" Skipper demanded.

"You can't go running off like that without telling someone." Blade added, his tone both worried and stern.

"Sorry, but I have a hunch about where we need to go next." Sky said.

"Really?" Nathan asked. "Where?"

"California." Sky said. The three men before her gave her strange looks. "Trust me."

* * *

Once everyone returned to the States, they made their way to California despite their confusion at Sky's orders. Also per Sky's request, Blade called Maru to get the exact location of where he ordered the firewood.

"Are you sure about this?" Harley asked as they journeyed down the street.

"Trust me." Sky said. "I think this shop will have our answer."

"Why?" Katherine asked.

"If the amulet was inside one of the logs Maru used in the bonfire, maybe there's a connection between the amulet and this place." Sky answered as they arrived at the feed and supply store Maru directed them to. "Let's see if this place has been anything more than a feed store."

Inside, the merchandise consisted mainly of farm animal feed, farm supplies, horse riding gear, rodeo gear, and large stacks of firewood bundles. The only occupant was a teenager behind the register. Sky, Harley, and Katherine approached the counter while everyone else waited outside. The teenage boy at the register flipped absent-mindedly through a hunting magazine.

"Hey, we have a strange question. You think you could help us out?" Harley asked.

"I'm not paid enough to answer strange questions." The boy said, not looking up from his magazine. Sky promptly snatched it out of his hands. "Hey!"

"You want it back? You'll answer our question." Sky said in a no-nonsense tone.

The boy growled in annoyance. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Has this place always been a feed and supplies store?" Katherine asked. "Or was it other things?"

"This is a teeny tiny town. Of course this place has been other things." The boy snapped. "Now give me back my magazine!"

Sky rolled up the magazine and whacked the boy on the head. "What else has this store been?"

"I don't know!" The boy whined, rubbing his head. "My grandpa bought this place fifty years ago. Before that, it was a couple different stores. It's been a bookstore, a bead shop, and a weird little store that had strange cultural objects or something."

"What kind of strange cultural objects?" Harley asked.

"I never went into the store. It was around way before even my dad was alive. I don't think my grandpa was alive either, and I have no idea if it was still around when he was a kid." The boy said.

"Thanks." Sky tossed the magazine back to the boy, and she and her friends joined the others outside. They moved to a café and sat in a quiet corner to talk.

"I think I know what you're getting at, Sky." Katherine pulled out her tablet and typed a few things online. She murmured to herself and opened a calculator, tapping in a few numbers. "Based on my calculations, I estimate that the amulet was lost around two hundred years ago."

"Calculations of what?" Leland asked.

"Tree growth." Katherine answered. "Plants grow around or through things inanimate objects. If the amulet was in a log, then it must've been buried near an acorn or other seed, which grew into a tree and carried the amulet with it. Perhaps we can find the shop based on when the necklace was lost."

"Hang on." Harley pulled out her computer and did a quick search of her own. "I'm looking at the town archives of businesses that existed over two centuries ago."

"How did you get that from your computer?" Nick asked.

"We could tell you, but then we'd have to shoot you." Leland said.

Nick snorted. "You're joking." He stared at Leland. "You are joking, right?"

"Here!" Harley cheered triumphantly. "There was once a shop called Ancient Art, owned by a woman named Skylar Saysheen. She sold crafts, jewelry, and other artefacts that she claims were representative of the ancient culture known as Megami-Hito."

"Megami-Hito." Katherine repeated. "That's Japanese. It translates to 'people of the goddess.'"

"I'm looking at records of the things this woman made and sold." Harley said. "Check it out. It's the same symbol as what's on Sky's amulet." Sure enough, the pictures Harley showed depicted stones, drawings, and jewelry, all bearing the strange crest.

"Now that we have a more definite answer, we can make a smarter search." Katherine typed away on her tablet.

"Megami-Hito." Blade repeated. "Never heard of them."

"We certainly didn't go over that in any history class I took." Skipper agreed.

"Why not?" Sky wondered.

"Because nobody believes they existed." Katherine answered. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What I'm reading here says that Megami-Hito is rumored to be one of the first groups of civilized people, older than any other group in history. But there's no physical evidence except notes and books made by early explorers. Apart of eyewitness testimonies, there doesn't seem to be any proof this culture existed at all."

"A fictional culture?" Finn asked.

"What would be the purpose of that?" Leland asked.

"Not sure." Katherine admitted. "It says here that some historians claim Megami-Hito was made up by the Basque, in order to throw crusaders off their trail."

"Of course!" Nathan suddenly exclaimed. "I knew I had seen that symbol before! Here I thought it was just a random design created years ago."

"But you have seen it before?" Sky asked.

"Yes." Nathan nodded. "In some of our oldest history books. I'm not sure how much significance it holds to the Basque people today, but the Psikearen have many stories about spirits known as Megami-Hito."

"Spirits? Not actual people?" Skipper asked.

"Well, no one knows for sure." Nathan admitted. "They say that the spirits all obey the command of a single goddess."

"The Goddess of Psyche?" Harley guessed.

"Yes." Nathan said, surprised. "How did you know?"

"I finally found information on legends for the Megami-Hito." Harley said. "This supposedly pseudo-culture worshipped several different gods and goddess. One of them was known as the Goddess of Psyche, who apparently created the first psyche humans."

"So that's our answer?" Nick asked. "Psyche humans came from this goddess?"

"It seems to make the most sense." Finn admitted.

"When civilizations intermingle, people sometimes appropriate their beliefs to match those of a new culture they live in." Skipper said.

"So this Goddess of Psyche could be the root of other spirits or even deities in other cultures, like the ones we found." Blade added.

Sky took Harley's computer and stared at the information. "Wow. This is so cool."

"Just think: all that time we could've saved if we just came to California first." Harley noted, causing laughter amongst them.


	8. Ghosts

**Chapter Eight – Ghosts**

Finn told Siddeley to fly leisurely on the way to Minnesota. Sky, Harley, and Katherine gathered as much info as they could before they left, and the flight turned into overnight travel. While everyone else slept, even the ghosts of the group, the three girls gathered in the lounge area to go over their research.

"This is so cool." Sky breathed. "The Megami-Hito worshipped deities and spirits tied to nature, because they believed they were all tied to the earth in some way. The Goddess of Psyche created psyche humans in order to bond vehicles and humans."

"It makes sense, regardless of whether or not she's real." Harley said. "Let's face it: humans and vehicles are two very different species living in the same civilization. It's not like the difference between a person and an animal. Somehow, we have learned to cohabitate, sometimes in the same house."

"These legends are fascinating." Katherine said. "One of them describes a cataclysmic war between vehicles and humans. I once read there is evidence of such a war found during an archaeological dig in China."

"I found historical accounts of psyche humans who claimed to see the goddess who created them." Sky said. "These are people who were about to die, but they say that an ethereal being visited them and helped bring them back to life." She rubbed the amulet around her neck. "To think this has been the connection all this time."

"You know, I found a necklace like that amongst the list of products sold at Ancient Art." Harley said. "The stones in the amulet? Those aren't random. Specifically, those stones are aragonite, black tourmaline, emerald, amethyst, kyanite, red jasper, snowflake obsidian, turquoise, white howlite, and blue tigers eye. All of those stones supposedly aid mental health. Black tourmaline repels and blocks negative energies and psychic attacks. White howlite helps with sleeping, dreaming and dream retention, and eases insomnia. I know we should look at this from a more scientific point of view, but all of this just makes too much sense."

"I've known how to speak with ghosts and spirits for years." Katherine said. "I, for one, tend to lean on the side of spirituality. There's nothing wrong with that. Quite frankly, some things can't be explained with science. There are plenty of people who want to deny it. This kind of thing can't be denied. I think we can definitively say psyche humans were created divinely, and their powers are related to a deity."

"Satisfied now, Sky?" Harley asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Sky bobbed her head.

"You guess?" Katherine laughed. "We just went on a great albeit short-lived research mission to find the origin of psyche humans, and we did. What else do you want?"

"I want to know for sure why we were created." Sky said. "Do psyche humans have a specific purpose in the world?"

"Now, that sounds like something a little more personal." Harley said. "That's not something that can be answered in a book or through research. You're going to have to take time to think of an answer yourself."

"Maybe." Sky nodded in agreement. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small, old, leather-cover book.

"What's what?" Katherine asked.

"Just a book I got in Basque Country." Sky shrugged, flipping through the book. "Not really any text. Just a bunch of pictures."

Harley peered over Sky's shoulder. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Is it an art history book?"

"I don't know. Why?" Sky asked.

"Because none of these pictures are consistent." Harley said. "Look. That's a peacock from the Book of Kells. There's a cave painting. That's Renaissance work, I know it well. All these pictures come from a different country and/or a different era in history."

Sky looked in the first and last few pages. "No publisher information."

"Looks handmade." Harley noted.

Katherine wheeled closer and opened her phone. She tapped a button on the screen, and a blue light shined from where the camera would be. Katherine shined the light over a couple pages in the book. "No invisible ink. There are spots of contamination, which could be anything from dirt to blood."

"Huh, weird." Sky shrugged. "But it's pretty and it'll look nice on a bookshelf. I guess I'll hang onto it."

The sound of tires on the carpet alerted the girls to Finn driving into the room. He yawned. "Shouldn't you all be in bed?"

"We were on our way." Harley said.

Finn hummed tiredly. "Liar."

Harley laughed and bid everyone goodnight. Katherine and Sky followed suit. Sky lay on her bunk and stared at the pictures in her book. It did seem odd to have so many different pictures of different styles. None of them were even in a particular order. The text below each drawing was a brief description.

 _At least it looks pretty._ Sky mused.

* * *

 _She first saw that she seemed to be in a wide, grassy area. Dark clouds filled the skies. Sky sat up and looked around. Everything looked dark. Something felt wrong, like she was in danger. Sky had an urge to leave before she got hurt. But when she heard an explosion, she decided to stand and jog to the hill near her. When she neared the top, Sky lay on her stomach and Army-crawled over the ridge._

 _On the other side of the hill, Sky witnessed a horrible sight. Humans and vehicles clashed in a vicious war. Cars ran over humans. Bulky humans slammed sledgehammers and swords into vehicles. Planes and helicopters dropped heavy objects and explosives. A mix of war cries and screams of agony or death assaulted Sky's ears. She wondered if this is what Skipper experienced while on his mission in the war._

 _Then, Sky saw a faint shadow on the ground, and she looked up just in time to jump out of the way of a bomb. The shockwave pushed Sky farther, and she tumbled and rolled down the hill. She jumped to her feet to dodge the fighters, weaving her way through the battle without really knowing where to go. She found a dead pickup truck and jumped into the truck's flatbed._

" _Stop!" Sky screamed. "Stop it! Stop fighting!" Nobody listened to her. She didn't even know why she bothered shouting. "I said stop it! Stop doing this!"_

 _Then, the vehicles and humans simultaneously froze and spun around to face her. Sky felt apprehensive, wondering what they would do to her. A glow caught her eyes, and she looked down to see a bright light emitting from her entire body. The light grew brighter and brighter until—_

* * *

Sky gasped as she woke up. She panted softly as she stared at the ceiling. She slowly sat up, and her book fell from her chest into her lap. Sky quickly shut the book and stuffed it back into her backpack. She forced herself to go back to sleep.

The next day, as Siddeley descended into Propwash Junction, Sky couldn't shake her dream. It was horrible, yet not in the way her nightmares normally worked. Usually, her nightmares revolved around her past or her fears. This seemed random. Sky couldn't remember the last time she witnessed Skipper's war days through memory sharing. She didn't see any movies recently that included bloody battles. So what caused such a strange dream? Stress? Something she ate? Or—a theory that somehow made sense—was it caused by her book, which she still held when she fell asleep?

She pushed it aside when she saw Dusty and Ishani, and she ran to greet them. "How are you guys doing?" Sky asked. "You feeling any better, Ishani?"

"Oh, very much better." Ishani nodded with a wide smile. "Dusty, you want to tell her?"

"Tell me what?" Sky asked.

"Hey there, Dusty." Skipper greeted as the others caught up. "What's going on?"

"We have some exciting news." Dusty said, nuzzling his wife lovingly.

"Well don't leave us hanging." Sky laughed.

Ishani giggled. "I'm pregnant."

Sky's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"Champ, that's great!" Blade said. "Congratulations to both of you."

"Congratulations." Harley echoed.

"We found out soon after you left." Dusty said. "We wanted to make sure before we announced it."

"So does anyone in town know yet?" Sky asked.

"Nope. Hold on." Dusty turned to the Fill N' Fly, where a large group of the town gathered. Dusty raised his voice to a shout. "Hey guys! I'm going to be a dad!"

Immediately, everyone at the Fill N' Fly cheered, and Chug even hurried over and asked a thousand questions.

"We'll let him take care of all that." Ishani laughed. "Sky, tell us about what you found."

"It's really cool." Sky said. "Come on, let's go talk."

* * *

Ishani and Dusty were thrilled that Sky found her answers, and then intrigued by what she found. Sky was still excited by what she found, but she quickly turned the conversation to Dusty and Ishani's incoming baby. Due to the timing, Ishani would be sitting out for a while during next racing season for the sake of the baby. Dusty already decided he wanted to race only until the baby came. Blade excused Dusty from coming to Piston Peak for fire season so he could be with the baby.

Nathan was thrilled to see the second place Sky called "home." He asked Sky all sorts of questions: how she got her schooling, what her neighbors were like, how many friends she had in the town, the state of the house/hanger where she lived, etc. By the end of the tour, Nathan openly voiced his approval of the town as a place for his granddaughter to be raised. Sky was more embarrassed when Skipper and Sparky pulled out the scrapbooks. She insisted that her grandfather meet her old foster mother, and Rosa was more than thrilled to meet a kind member of Sky's blood family.

Unfortunately, Nathan had to return to his tribe soon. Sky insisted on a casual farewell party, which was held at Honkers. Sparky, Chug, Dottie, and Mayday talked to Nathan for a few hours. Chug, at first, had an attitude like he interrogated Nathan; but after he heard Nathan's story, Chug treated the elderly psych-man like he was his best friend.

While Sky chatted with Dusty and Ishani, Nathan came up and joined them. He set a glass in front of Sky. "I hear you like a good Irish on the rocks." Nathan mused.

"Yep." Sky nodded.

"You know, even when she turned twenty-one, she hardly ever got carded when she ordered alcohol with dinner." Dusty scoffed. "Like nobody questions a twenty-one-year-old who orders the hard stuff."

"That's my little whiskey girl." Nathan laughed, clinking his own glass of alcohol against Sky's.

"I'm really glad you could come out here." Sky said. "I really wanted you to see Propwash Junction."

"I think this is a wonderful place for you, Skylar." Nathan said. "You have a good town looking out for you."

"I wish you could stay longer." Sky said.

"Well the reservation where I live is just north of Lake Tahoe, down in Nevada." Nathan said. "You're welcome to visit anytime. And I want us to find time to travel out to Basque Country again and spend more quality time there. I want you to explore your heritage some more."

"That sounds like so much fun." Sky agreed.

"I just know that not a lot of orphans get the chance to really study where they're from." Nathan explained. "You never had a great relationship with your parents; and, quite frankly, I didn't have the best relationship with your mother. But I want to show you that not everyone from your family is bad."

Sky grinned and hugged him. "I don't think you have to worry about that."

After a while, Sky stepped outside for some fresh, cool night air. She inhaled deeply and exhaled softly. The entire situation just caused happiness to swell up inside her, and she couldn't stop smiling.

"Hey there." Harley piped up as she came to stand beside her friend.

"Sup?" Sky glanced down and saw Harley wore a pair of normal skates instead of the high-tech boots-that-turn-into-skates that C.H.R.O.M.E. issued her. "What is it with you and those skates?"

"It's how I kept up with my family, who is almost exclusively made up of vehicles." Harley shrugged. "Besides, now it's not so noticeable that I'm shorter than you."

Sky laughed and shook her head. "I guess that explains why I enjoy being up in trees sometimes. I like to be in the air, like when I'm riding Dusty."

Harley glanced around. "What trees?"

"Usually the ones at Piston Peak." Sky admitted. This time, both she and Harley laughed. Sky glanced into Honkers and saw Finn and Blade chatting as though they knew each other all their lives. "I'm a little surprised our Partners get along so well."

"You know, I am too." Harley said. "Finn's pretty guarded. Comes from being a spy, I guess. But they seem to have things in common."

"Let's see." Sky mused. "Leaders of teams, dedicated to their work, devoted to protecting people, and an uncanny ability to force answers out of people in their own respective ways."

Harley nodded in agreement. "I think it's also one thing more: they both lost their best friends."

Sky glanced back to her Partner. "Nick and Leland must be off exploring. I don't see them there."

"Yeah." Harley sighed softly. "Leland's pretty cool. He's pretty different compared to Finn. Leland is like a child and enjoys having fun. Not that Finn doesn't enjoy a bit of fun here and there, but he's more serious about his work."

"I feel like Blade was a lot less serious as an actor." Sky said. "He liked to exchange pranks with Nick, and the two of them acted like brothers."

"Leland and Finn act the same way." Harley said. She stared off into the distance. "Sometimes I forget that Leland is a ghost. I forget that the car who's always joining us on missions—the car who's Katherine's Soul Connect Partner—is really just the spirit of a dead guy."

Sky nodded in understanding. "That happens to me when I talk to Nick. It's only when he goes through walls and turns invisible do I remember that he's been dead for decades."

Harley sighed through her nose, this time with sadness. "Finn forgets Leland is a ghost, too. When he does remember, it gets hard for him."

"How so?" Sky asked.

"Leland's death wasn't easy on Finn." Harley said.

Sky pursed her lips. "How…..how did Leland die?" She noticed the pain flashing in Harley's eyes. "Sorry. You don't have to answer that."

"No, you ought to know. I trust you with the truth." Harley said. "Do you remember the World Grand Prix?" Sky nodded, and Harley continued. "Well, before that started, Leland was working undercover for the ones responsible for the whole scandal, something we wouldn't discover until much later. It was a solo mission, and Finn decided to let Leland take it. Something about losing a coin toss. Anyway, Leland's cover was blown, and he sent a transmission to Finn to call for backup. But he was caught….and then crushed to death."

Sky winced. Of all the ways for a car to die, getting crushed into a cube sounded the most horrible. "Poor Leland."

Harley nodded slowly. "By the time Finn got there, it was too late. His best friend, his partner, was already dead. Finn didn't have to watch him die, but all that was left to rescue was a cube of metal and glass." She sighed and ran her fingers through her short-cut hair. "I'm glad Leland is back. I really am happy and thankful that he's back in Finn's life and he's helping us with missions again. But I also wish Leland had never died. Now, who knows what might've happened if Finn had saved Leland? Maybe he and I would've never met. But it's not exactly easy for me to see the look on Finn's face when he's reminded that his partner is a ghost."

"I understand completely, Harley." Sky said. "The same thing happens to Blade and Nick."

"How did Nick die? If you don't mind me asking." Harley asked.

"A stunt gone wrong." Sky answered. "He was doing his signature inside loop for a stunt scene, and a crosswind blew him right into a cliff. Blade was the first one there, but he just didn't have the medical knowledge to help Nick. He used to get nightmares about it. Sometimes he still gets those nightmares on the anniversary of the accident. But, ultimately, I'm glad Nick is here. He's part of the team, the family, now."

"You two get along pretty well." Harley noted.

Sky shrugged. "Yeah." She nibbled on her lower lip. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course." Harley nodded.

"At first, Nick was just a really good friend, almost like a brother to me." Sky said. "But, lately, I feel like our relationship has grown. I feel like I can talk to him about personal things that I normally only talk to my dad or Sparky about. Sometimes my stomach feels weird and I'll get a little flushed when I talk to him. It's getting harder to see him as just a brother-like friend." She noticed a smirk on Harley's lips. "What?"

"You know what that means?" Harley said in a singsong voice.

"I do?" Sky asked.

"You're in love." Harley sang teasingly.

"I am not!" Sky said. She felt her face growing hot. "Am I? I mean, isn't he kind of old for me?"

"Technically, he's still in his early to mid-twenties since that's the age he was when he died." Harley said.

"But is it weird that I might be in love with a vehicle?" Sky asked.

Harley thought about it. "Love does not discriminate, Sky. Not by age nor gender or, least of all, by species. You know, I'm even growing closer to Leland. He and I have a lot in common, and we enjoy each other's company. I think the only thing really getting in our way is the fact that he's a ghost, and I think that's the same problem you have."

"Yeah." Sky nodded slowly. "I've been constantly rejecting the idea of a boyfriend. None of the guys I meet like me for who I am. They just like me because I'm a racer, and that's all they treat me as. But Nick? He's always talked to me like I'm a normal person. He seems to like me for me, and not because of what I do, whether it's racing or firefighting."

"Sounds like the ideal boyfriend." Harley mused.

"Yes, except he's a ghost." Sky said. "I know love does not discriminate, but what kind of relationship can we have when one of us is dead?" Sky sighed. "I'm not even sure I want a relationship right now."

"As cheesy as this may sound, you need to do what your heart tells you, Sky." Harley said. "If you decide you're really in love with Nick, you need to act on it, regardless of the situation."

"You mean the fact that he's dead and I'm not." Sky guessed.

"Yep." Harley nodded. "If you two share a bond, you ought to try and make it work."

Sky grinned. "All right. Then I would advise you to do the same. You and Leland have similar taste in partners. Maybe you two could be partners to each other."

Harley giggled softly. "Yeah, maybe."

Unbeknownst to the women, two familiar ghosts parked themselves around the corner of the bar and eavesdropped on their conversation. Nick and Leland exchanged a look—Leland's surprised and Nick's ecstatic—before they spirited off and returned to Blade and Finn. They made sure only their friends could see them and no one else.

"Discover anything interesting?" Finn asked with an amused smile.

"Yes!" Nick's voice went up so many octaves it came out like a squeak. In a more normal voice, he and Leland relayed what they heard from Sky and Harley.

"See, Nick?" Blade said. "You're in love with Sky, and she seems to return your feelings. I told you not to worry."

"Although, I am pleasantly surprised to know Harley has feelings for you, Leland." Finn said. "Do you return the affection?"

Leland looked nervous now. "Um…well, Miss Hudson is a very intelligent, quick-witted, strong young lady."

"That doesn't answer my question." Finn said.

"Even spies fall in love, Mr. Turbo." Blade chuckled.

"Believe us." Nick snickered. "Blade and I saw all the James Bond movies when we were kids."

Leland was glad to be a ghost now. His blush couldn't show when he was a ghost. "I thought the reason for eavesdropping was to find out if Miss Riley shares Mr. Lopez's romantic feelings."

"True." Blade mused. "Nick?"

"Well I think it's more fun to tease Leland." Nick said.

"The only reason we got on the subject was because you were curious about Miss Riley's feelings towards you." Leland said.

"That is the reason, yes." Finn agreed. "I don't normally approve of spying on my own Partner, but this was a harmless reconnaissance mission that proved fruitful."

Nick could see he wasn't getting out of this. "Well, I guess we found out that Sky _might_ share my feelings."

"But?" Blade asked.

"I don't know." Nick sighed. "It doesn't sound like she's very sure."

"But you are sure." Blade said. "You know what you're feeling for her."

"However, I must regrettably point out your…..ah, _living_ situation?" Finn said.

"Yeah, I know." Nick said. "Kind of hard to be with someone when I'm a ghost. Everything else doesn't matter: our age, our species, none of that. It's the fact that she's still alive and I died years ago. What am I supposed to do about that?"

"Being dead doesn't mean you can't have a good relationship with her." Leland said.

"Oh yeah?" Nick scoffed. "How? There are so many things to think about, not just in terms of physically, but like legally. Like what if we decide to get married? What do I do when other guys start hitting on her? How does she explain to people that she and I are dating?"

"I think you're overthinking this." Blade said.

"I think you're just afraid to tell Skylar." Finn added.

"Yeah, okay? You got me. I'm afraid." Nick admitted. "I'm afraid that she won't accept me. I'm afraid that we won't be able to make it work. I'm afraid that I'm not good enough for her." He sighed heavily. "Knowing all that, can you honestly tell me that all I need to do is strap on a pair of man parts and tell her outright?"

"I think you eventually need to tell her." Blade said. "Never telling her would be dishonest. She deserves to know just as much as you deserve to find out her reaction."

Nick stared at the table. Then, he disappeared. The other three at the table sighed simultaneously. "You know, I always liked studying contemporary American history." Leland said. "I particularly enjoyed the 70s and 80s. I remember watching a couple episodes of that TV show Nick was on. He never seemed to have a problem with women back then."

"Those women weren't Sky." Blade said. "Nick didn't ever want a real relationship with those women, and they didn't see him as anything more than a TV star. Nick and Sky see each other for who they are, and recognize each other's talents and strengths. They also see each other's weaknesses, and work to fix them. I don't think Nick knows how to deal with that, and Sky is someone who is slow to trust. They're going to have to figure this out on their own."

Nick journeyed to the roof of Honkers, and he looked over the edge towards Sky and Harley. The women apparently moved to a different topic of conversation, and they laughed jovially at something. Nick didn't know if it were the rose-colored glasses or something else, but he started noticing the little things about Sky that made her physically beautiful: the light in her uniquely colored eyes, her musical laugh, the way light reflected off her coal-black hair, and even the dark color of her psych-man birthmark on her arm.

 _Is this what being in love feels like?_ Nick wondered. _To look at someone and only see perfection?_


	9. Last Chance?

**A/N: Livvy Leopard, thank you for the baby name!**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine – Last Chance?**

Dusty winced, and then laughed. "Sky! You're not supposed to use my canopy as a drum!"

Sky laughed. "Sorry! Just lovin' this music!"

Dusty nodded in agreement and turned up the volume on his radio. The midsummer air felt comfortably warm as he and Sky flew towards Utah. Dusty and Sky had a few more races scheduled before Mayday sent Sky off to Piston Peak. Even though Dusty hadn't wanted to race much after the baby was born, Sky practically begged for a few more runs. Ishani insisted on coming to the race in Utah, leaving her and Dusty's baby Destiny in the care of Ishani's sister, who had come out to help around the house. When fire season started, Dusty and even Sky couldn't help with the baby as often when a fire broke out. Ishani's sister came down to lend a hand, and even Rosa would go over and help out when she could. As soon as the doctor cleared her, Ishani declared she would race her husband at least a few times before Sky had to leave. Blade was true to his word and practically ordered Dusty to stay home instead of coming out to Piston Peak; he insisted Dusty stay with his recently born baby for at least the first year of her life.

When Dusty and Sky landed at the race course in Utah, their team waited for them. Skipper, Sparky, Dottie, and Chug still made a habit of going to all their races, no matter how much Chug loved to babysit the new baby.

"About time you got here!" Skipper chuckled as the racers approached them.

"Yeah, Ishani already beat you here." Dottie laughed.

"I told you we shouldn't have stopped at that pancake place." Sky told Dusty.

"Tell me those weren't the best pancakes you ever had." Dusty dared.

"Come on. We got another surprise for you." Sparky said.

"A surprise?" Sky repeated.

"Well, a couple surprises." Skipper corrected, leading the team to their station in the pits. When they arrived at their tent, Dusty and Sky were certainly surprised to see who chatted with Ishani in the tent next-door.

"Hey strangers." Harley greeted. Katherine waved with a laugh, and Blade and Ishani paused in their conversation to give their attention to the other racers.

"Hey guys!" Dusty and Sky said at once, laughing at their impromptu spontaneity.

"Chief, what are you doing out here?" Dusty asked after greeting his wife with a loving nuzzle. "I thought you'd be up at Piston Peak."

"I was, but I heard you would be nearby for a race." Blade said. "Thought I'd come by and see what all the commotion is about. Besides, I need a break from the trainee we have up there. He's worse than you were." Dusty rolled his eyes, but still chuckled.

"And I tagged along!" Nick said, popping up literally from nowhere.

"Shh!" Sky giggled, hoping no one outside their tent heard Nick's outburst.

"Relax. You know nobody can see or hear me except you guys." Nick scoffed.

"What about you two?" Dusty looked to Harley and Katherine. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"McQueen had a race in another town close to here." Harley explained. "Katherine had come down to visit, and when we heard you were racing here, I thought it would be awesome to come see."

"We're glad you could make it." Sky said. "Dusty, we should go check out the track and warm up."

"Absolutely!" Dusty agreed. Sky hopped up on his wing, and they made their way to the track. Ishani followed them.

"Come on, you guys." Sparky told Blade, Harley, and Katherine. "I'll show you where we usually sit during the race."

As they headed towards the grandstands, Katherine became aware of a familiar spirit invisibly floating near her. "Leland? Is that you?"

"Yes, and I have some concerns." Leland's voice whispered in her ear.

"What concerns?" Katherine murmured back.

"There's a racer out there who is making me nervous." Leland explained. "Mustang hybrid, dark blue and red. Number 6, I think. He's been very aggressive to…well, everyone…all day."

Katherine looked towards the track as the aforementioned racer landed on the runway. He certainly had "I'm better than you" air about him. "Commander?" Katherine piped up, rolling her wheelchair closer to Skipper. "Who is Racer Number 6?"

Skipper's smile dropped and he scanned the runway. He groaned anxiously. "Great. Aaron 'The Beater' Sweeter."

"The Beater?" Blade repeated.

"Sweeter?" Nick blinked a few times in confusion.

"I don't think he chose his last name." Sparky said. "But he certainly earned the nickname."

"Is he a good racer?" Katherine asked.

"He's an aggressive racer." Harley corrected. "I've heard about that guy. He is famous for causing fights before, after, and even during races. He's even knocked racers out of the air. He's also a major jerk."

"The 'knocking racers out of the air' part is what worries me the most." Skipper said. "We need to talk to Dusty and Sky."

"Here they come." Sparky said. Everyone headed down towards the entrance of the runway as Dusty and Sky came in for a landing.

"That's one good-looking track, even if we only got one look at it." Sky said, unclipping herself and hopping to Dusty's wing. The warm-up run consisted of a single lap through the outdoor track so that the racers could see the layout of the track but not get a chance to do anything to the track itself.

"I love these kinds of races. The ones where there's an obstacle course made of nature." Dusty said. "Reminds me of Augerin Canyon."

"This is going to be great." Sky said giddily. She gasped in surprise when Dusty's wing collided with another racer's, and she almost fell off.

"Hey, excuse you." Dusty snapped, seeing how the other racer seemed to bump into him on purpose.

The racer turned and smirked. "Sorry. I didn't see anything there."

"Buzz off, Aaron." Sky scoffed. "And try to not embarrass yourself in the race today."

"You really need to watch your mouth and watch your back." Aaron growled at Sky.

Dusty shifted his position so the wing Sky stood on was farther away from Aaron. "Just take a chill pill, okay? There's no need to be violent."

"All's fair in love and war, Crophopper." Aaron sneered. He glared at Sky. "Racing is a dangerous sport, especially for humans. You're such frail things."

Sky's eyes blazed with fury. "Listen you little—"

"Sky is much stronger than you give her credit for." Dusty said, not taking his eyes off Aaron. "Keep talking like that to her, and you'll have to deal with me too. So why don't you run along and prepare for the race? Wouldn't want your ego to get in the way of your racing."

Aaron looked like he would snap at Dusty and Sky again, but his eyes fell upon a certain Navy warplane by the runway entrance. "Whatever." Aaron scoffed, leaving Dusty and Sky behind as he made his way to his tent.

"I really don't like that guy." Dusty admitted. "He makes me nervous with how violent he is."

"Don't worry, Dusty." Sky assured as they headed for their own tent. "We'll just give him a wide berth. Preferably in front of him."

Skipper met them on the way to the tent. "You two sure you want to race with him around? That guy makes me anxious."

"We'll be fine." Dusty assured. "Sky's right. We just need to make sure we're out of his way, far ahead of him."

* * *

Dusty and Sky took their position for the race, and their team gathered in their spot in the grandstands. Sky glanced back to Aaron, who was several spots behind them. They were in the third position. Not a bad start for them, and it wouldn't take much to get into first. The real battle would be keeping first place. Dusty shared a look with Ishani, just one spot behind them. She nodded, indicating she was ready to go. Dusty stared back ahead, mentally prepping himself. Sky made sure her harness was securely attached to the handlebar on Dusty's back, and she pulled her goggles over her eyes.

The green flag came down, and the race was on. The crowd watched the racers go off into the distance, and then redirected their attention to the jumbotron to watch the race. Dusty and Sky managed to overtake the second-place racer halfway through the first lap. Harley and Skipper started discussing racing techniques and things Dusty and Sky could work on for future races. Everyone else cheered for their friends.

"Look at 'em go!" Nick whooped. "This is awesome!"

"Who's in the lead?" Blade asked.

"Not sure." Nick said. "You know, I'm not really paying attention to that."

"Yes, you are." Blade said. "Because I'm not backing down from our deal."

"I never actually agreed to that deal." Nick said.

"Oh yes you did, and I'm not letting you forget it." Blade countered.

Nick rolled his eyes. "When I said I agreed, I said it jokingly. It's not fair to stake a bet against whether or not Dusty and Sky win this race."

"They don't win all their races." Blade said. "So there is a slim chance they will lose, and you're afraid of that."

"So what if I am?" Nick scoffed.

"The deal was if they lose, you will tell Sky your feelings for her." Blade reminded him. "You've already delayed enough. If Sky loses this race, she'll need a pick-me-up."

"Chocolate is a good pick-me-up." Nick pointed out.

"Nick." Blade cast him a look. "If Dusty and Sky win, you'll get only a week to tell her, or else I'll do it for you. You've delayed long enough."

Nick looked down. He knew better than to call Blade's bluff. _Just focus on the race. Maybe Dusty and Sky will win, and Blade will forget about the bet._

* * *

Sky kept a firm grip on the handlebar, allowing her body to move with the flow of Dusty's movements. They managed to get to the first-place position by the fifth lap. Ishani overtook them halfway through the race. With two world-class racers in the running, the entire race seemed to focus on them.

"Hey Ishani!" Dusty called as he pulled up alongside the Indian racer. "When we win, you owe us dinner!"

"How about, when _I_ win, you owe me dinner?" Ishani challenged. "And we have Christmas in India this year."

"You're on!" Sky nodded. She yelped when something zipped past them, dangerously closed to her head. She, Dusty, and Ishani looked ahead and saw a familiar racer.

"You really ought to be wearing a helmet!" Aaron laughed mockingly as he flew ahead. "See you at the finish line!"

"Oh I don't think so!" Dusty put on more speed.

"Be careful!" Ishani called after them. She didn't like Aaron one bit, and it made her anxious when another racer got too close. To make things worse, Aaron targeted Sky with his aggression. Aaron constantly discriminated against psych-man racers, and often got into trouble when he "accidentally" hurt the psyche human racers.

Dusty and Sky came up behind Aaron and performed a perfect vertical-G to pass him. Aaron sped up and pushed the tip of his wing against Sky as though to shove her off Dusty. Sky grabbed Aaron's wing and channeled her pyrokinesis energy into her palm, burning him and forcing the plane to veer away from her.

"I hate that guy." Sky growled.

"Just keep your head down." Dusty said. "Give me an energy boost and we'll pull ahead of him."

"Roger that." Sky pushed her energy into Dusty, and they shot forward. In no time, they left Aaron in the dust.

"We rock!" Dusty whooped.

"We're on fire!" Sky cheered.

Dusty blinked. "Wait, we're not actually on fire, are we, Miss Pyromaniac?"

"No, of course not." Sky said.

"Okay. I just don't want a repeat of the Great Arizona Burn Incident. Remember?" Dusty raised an eye rim at her.

Sky rubbed the back of her head. "Right. Yeah, that was bad." She shook her head. "Focus on the race! We're almost to the finish line!"

Dusty took a turn and rounded the green flag marking the course. They could see the grandstands ahead of them, so far away they looked like a speck. But now, they were in camera range, which means the audience could see them coming up.

"Dusty and Sky are coming!" Katherine cheered.

"Go guys!" Harley called.

Sky punched the air triumphantly. "Let's finish this, Dusty! Keep up that speed!"

"No problem!" Dusty assured. He wouldn't slow down until they passed that finish line.

Nick bounced a little. "This is exciting! Go, guys, go!"

"How far ahead are they from the other racers?" Blade wondered aloud.

Skipper checked the leaderboard. "Not sure. They're ahead of Aaron, and that's what I care most about."

Leland watched the big screen across from them, and he saw a flash of dark blue in the corner of the screen. "Wait. What was that?"

"What was what?" Harley pulled out a miniature telescope from her backpack and peered through it to watch Dusty and Sky come up. Harley noticed Sky's head turn so she could look upwards, and Harley followed her gaze.

Right when Harley exclaimed, "Oh my God!" a flash of blue and red appeared on the big screen and smashed into Dusty and Sky. A shocked, collective gasp rose from the horrified audience. The camera followed Dusty and Sky as they spiraled out of control and fell towards the unforgiving earth. They disappeared behind a hill, and Skipper swore he could hear the crash from where they were. Aaron wobbled in the air and smashed into the runway, his landing gear crushed or ripped off.

"Where are they?" Katherine asked no one in particular. "Where'd they go?"

"Chief Ranger, come with me!" Harley ordered. "I'm a registered field medic and certified Psyche Healer, and I need a ride."

"Copy that." Blade followed Harley towards the runway.

"Leland! Nick! Go find Dusty and Sky!" Katherine ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" Nick and Leland flew off as fast as they could.

Harley flashed her medic badge to the officials on the runway, and they allowed her and Blade through. Blade allowed Harley to hop up into his hoist hatch as his rotors began to spin. Nick paused beside them. "Leland and I will find them and we'll meet up."

"Good. Hurry!" Harley commanded. Nick joined Leland.

"How are we going to help them?" Blade asked. "I can't tow Dusty back."

"No, but my healing abilities are advanced." Harley said as Blade lifted off the ground. "I can, at the very least, put them in more stable condition for transport to the hospital."

* * *

Leland and Nick arrived at the hill where they saw Dusty and Sky disappear. Kicked-up dirt and ripped-apart grass left a trail for the ghosts to follow, and they found Dusty below another hill across a clear, flat area.

"Yo, Crophopper!" Nick called, nudging the damaged plane gently. "You all right?"

Dusty groaned and blinked his eyes open. "Oddly enough, I've been worse. I can't feel my left wing, though."

"Harley is on her way." Leland assured.

"Great. But where's Sky?" Dusty asked. "Is she on my back? My mirror's broken, I can't see."

Nick glanced to Dusty's back and canopy. "She's not there!"

"Then she must've gotten thrown off." Dusty grimaced again in pain. "Look, guys, I'll be okay until Harley gets here. Go find Sky! This isn't the first time she was thrown off of me; and last time, she ended up in the hospital. Make sure she's okay!"

"We're on it!" Leland nodded. He and Nick flew up higher and analyzed the ground below. "Based on how many times Crophopper bounced before skidding to a halt, I imagine Skylar wouldn't fly too far."

"Plus, she's Navy trained." Nick reminded him. "She would tuck-and-roll or something, and she might have traveled farther because of it."

Leland muttered to himself, calculating how far a human Sky's size would travel after the last time Dusty bounced off the ground. "This way!" He shot off like a rocket, and Nick followed close behind. They went to the small hill behind Dusty. At the bottom rested a familiar psyche human. Nick and Leland flew down to Sky's side. Her leg was twisted at an odd angle, and she was covered in dirt. She lay still, but she breathed, so she was just unconscious.

"Nice job, Turbo." Nick said.

Leland nodded in thanks. "You stay here with her. I'm going to update Harley."

"On it." Nick nodded. Leland disappeared. Nick nudged Sky, but she remained motionless. She didn't look nearly as banged up as she could have been. Nick could only guess that she tumbled the way a martial artist would, and it broke her fall. As far as he could tell, she was okay. "Just hold on, Sky." Nick murmured, glancing above him. "You'll be all right. Just hang on."

"Hey Nick."

Nick shouted in surprise and shot straight up into the air. He looked all around and did a perfect double-take. "Sky? How are you there when you're also down there?"

Sky glanced down to her body and stared at the translucency of her hand. "I think this is me as a ghost."

"A ghost?" Nick blinked in surprise. "But that would mean…." His eyes widened. " _Dios Mio_ , I think you're dying."

"I think I took a harder blow than I normally do." Sky admitted. "Aaron's wing clipped my side. I could have broken something, for all I know."

"Just because you're broken doesn't mean you won't live." Nick protested. "Try and reenter your body. Harley's on her way."

Sky nodded and knelt down next to her body. "Um, how do I do this?"

"Just go in." Nick urged. "Dive headfirst, do a cannonball, do _something!"_

"Stop yelling at me, Lopez!" Sky snapped. She stood up and jumped forward, aiming her feet for her body's stomach. But her feet went through her body and stopped when they hit the grass below it. Sky tried again, but she kept going through her body instead of into it. "What is going on?"

"Keep trying." Nick practically ordered.

"I _am_ trying!" Sky even tried to lay down on top of her body, and she went through it. "I'm not connecting. Does this mean I'm really dying?"

"Technically, you're already dying." Nick corrected. "I think your body is too weak to hold onto you."

"What?!" Sky's voice went up a few octaves. "You mean I'm going to die?"

"No! No way, not while I'm here." Nick assured.

Sky's eyes darted back and forth between her body and Nick. "I don't want to die, Nick. Not today. I'm not ready!"

"I said I wasn't going to let you die, and I meant it!" Nick snapped. "Hang on!"

"To what?" Sky yelped when Nick suddenly hooked one of his landing skids under her arm and lifted her off the ground. Right when she managed to tighten her grip, Nick pulled her into her body and the two of them disappeared.

When Sky opened her eyes, she saw what looked like her room back in Skipper and Sparky's hanger. Except there wasn't a speck of color: just blacks, whites, and greys. No light came from the window. Sky and Nick glowed in a soft, blue radiance.

"So, what's this?" Sky asked.

"We're inside you, now." Nick said. "And you're going to stay in here."

"You pulled me into my own body?" Sky said incredulously. "Wow. Nice job." She glanced to her hands, and she saw the glow around her body flickering. "I think it's working!"

"Yeah, I think you're clinging to life by a thread, but it should be long enough for Harley to get here." Nick said.

Sky sighed in relief. "Good. You better get out of here, then. Wouldn't want to wake up possessed by a ghost."

"Don't worry, I'll leave in a minute." Nick said. "I just want to make sure you're anchored down before I leave."

"Thanks, Nick." Sky said. "I owe you big time."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Nah. What are friends for, right?"

Sky laughed. "Especially ghost friends."

Nick stared at her for a moment. _She almost died. Heck, she's still barely hanging onto life until Harley gets here. I need to tell her now, before I lose the moment._ Nick cleared his throat. "Hey, Sky?"

* * *

Leland led the way to Dusty, but the former crop duster practically ordered Blade and Harley to find Sky since she was in worse condition. Harley ordered Leland to stay with Dusty while Blade flew her over the next hill and to Sky.

"There she is!" Blade called, making a landing a safe distance away from Sky's motionless body. Once Harley hopped out, they rushed over to Sky. Blade grimaced. "She doesn't look good."

Harley quickly checked Sky's vitals, using her powers to evaluate her injuries. "Breathing low, pulse weak. She has several broken bones and internal bleeding. Hang on." She folded her hands in front of her chest and shut her eyes in concentration. When she opened her eyes, her irises were snow-white and her hands became enveloped in a teal glow. She ever-so-carefully placed her hands over Sky's chest and abdomen, letting her healing powers do their work.

Whatever Nick was going to say to Sky, she didn't get to hear it. They jumped when the area around them rumbled and shook. Cracks appeared in the ground and on the walls.

"What's happening?" Sky asked.

"I think you're waking up!" Nick gasped.

"Well then get the heck out of me!" Sky urged. "What if you get stuck in here?"

"I won't." Nick assured. "I'm going, see? I'm going!"

Before he could, he and Sky both felt blasts of pain, and Nick blacked out.

* * *

Harley continued her healing, bringing Sky into a more stable condition. "Come on, Sky. Come on."

Blade stared anxiously, hopefully, and wished Sky would give some indication she was alive. "She has really got to stop doing this to me."

"Says the firefighter." Harley snorted. "Bet you do this to her too."

Blade opened his mouth to argue, then shut it again. He perked up when Sky coughed, and her eyes fluttered open. "There she is."

"Hey Sky." Harley held her hand over Sky's face. "How many fingers do you see?"

Sky stared at the hand. "Three: middle, index, and a weirdly shaped thumb."

When Harley realized Sky was messing with her, she rolled her eyes. "Oh you're fine."

"How's Dusty?" Sky asked.

"Fine. Told us to go looking for you." Blade said. "And, thankfully, it looks like you'll both live."

"Leland is staying with Dusty. Both of you are stable, and help is on the way." Harley said. "We just have to sit tight."

Sky sighed in relief. Then, her eyes widened. If she could, she would've shot straight up. "Wait, where's Nick?"

"He's not with you?" Blade looked around and realized Nick was nowhere to be found. "Nick? Nick!"

"He was inside me." Sky murmured.

"What?" Harley asked with a confused look on her face.

"I was dying." Sky explained. "I couldn't get back into my body. He pulled me in and kept me there until you got here. Where is he?"

Harley and Blade looked around and called for Nick, but he wouldn't show. Neither one of them could answer Sky's question.

Sky stared at the clouds. _Nick. Where'd you go?_


	10. The Ol' Switcheroo

**A/N: I am so sorry for the late update! At the same time, I'm glad I waited to update. This chapter had to be rewritten like three times. I lost my inspiration; and when that happens, the chapters turn out like a pile of cow poop. But now that this chapter is out of the way, I can get to the chapters I'm more interested in writing.**

 **Enjoy this one!**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten – The Ol' Switcheroo**

Aaron faced a severe punishment for "unnecessary roughness." Dusty and Sky were taken to the hospital to mend their injuries. After a few days to rest, Dusty returned to Propwash Junction with Ishani, Skipper, Chug, and Dottie. Since Sky was to start at Piston Peak for fire season, Blade insisted she spend the rest of her healing period at the park. Sparky, Harley, and Katherine joined her for moral support, and so Harley could lend her healing abilities to help Sky get back on her feet faster.

The firefighters at Piston Peak were happy to have Sky around, and the Smokejumpers would lend a hand as best they could to help her get around. Sky met the trainee Blade mentioned: a young Sikorsky, similar in build to Windlifter, with a bronze-brown paintjob and white stripes painted on her rotors. Her name was Robin, and her energy was boundless. The only problem was she could never contain the energy enough to listen for directions. Thankfully, Windlifter took her under his wing, and guided her through training. Robin came from a local reservation, and so appreciated knowing there was another Native on the base to connect with. Sky only got to talk to Robin for a little over a week. One day, a fire chief over in Washington called Piston Peak Air Attack asking for support with some massive wildfires across the state. Robin left at once with Dipper accompanying her.

After a week back at the base, Sky was almost fully recovered.

"All right. Just a second." Harley finished her healing on Sky's leg. "Take a little walk around the garage. Tell me how it feels." Sky slowly stood and glided across the room.

"Any soreness?" Sparky asked.

"Stiffness?" Maru added.

"Not really." Sky said.

"Well, you should take it easy regardless." Maru said. "You went through a major injury and a fast healing process."

"The good news is you're in remission." Harley said. "I can teach you some good stretches and exercises to get yourself back on your feet."

"So I can go back to work?" Sky asked.

"No way." Sparky scoffed.

"Oh come on." Sky complained.

"Sparky's right." Maru confirmed. "Too soon for you to get back into firefighting. We can't have any stiffs out there."

Sky rolled her eyes. "Oh, ha-ha. You're hilarious, Maru. Can I at least go take a walk around the base?"

"Yes." Sparky hardly finished before Sky sprinted out the garage. "Slowly!"

Harley laughed. "Even after a major injury, she still has so much energy."

"You should see her when we haven't had a fire in a long time." Maru chuckled.

Sky stood next to the runway and tilted her head back. The warmth of the sunshine caressed her cheeks. She sighed in content. "Just a little more time. Then I'll be right back in the action."

"Not until you're fully healed." Blade said as he parked next to her.

"Whatever." Sky rolled her eyes. "Hey, is Nick back yet?"

Blade sighed, concern in his eyes. "I was going to ask you the same thing. I haven't seen him since the crash."

"Me either." Sky said. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Skylar!" Katherine called from the kitchen. "Is there a loaf of bread anywhere in here?"

"Maybe in the drawer below the coffee maker!" Sky called back. "Hey, have you seen Nick anywhere?"

Katherine paused on her way back into the kitchen. She did a U-turn and wheeled herself over to Blade and Sky. "You two haven't seen him either."

"That's why we were hoping you have." Blade said. "You _are_ the ghost whisperer, after all."

Katherine shook her head. "Don't worry too much. If what Sky told me is true, then Nick is just weak from helping her. Ghosts are able to lend their strength and heal the living when they master their use of their energy. Once he regains his strength, he'll return. No worries."

"Thanks, Katherine." Sky said. "I think that's exactly what we needed to hear." Katherine nodded and returned to the kitchen.

"It's still concerning." Blade said. "After all, we know so little about ghosts. I'm not sure even Nick knows everything about what he can do."

Sky didn't want to admit she worried greatly for Nick's well-being. She truly had no idea how big of a risk he took by helping her hold onto life. "I'm sure it'll be all right." She hoped she sounded convincing to Blade. She didn't really believe herself.

* * *

That night, Blade was awoken from his deep sleep by something that sound like a cross between a lawn mower and two pieces of metal grinding together.

"Nick…" Blade moaned tiredly. "Nick…you're snoring again…knock it off….."

Nick snorted, and then yawned. "Sorry…"

Blade was ready to slip back into dreamland when he realized Nick actually answered him. Blade's eyes flew open, and he quickly turned on the light. "Nick? Nick, where are you?"

"Asleep. Leave me alone." Came Nick's sleepy mumble.

"You're a ghost. Ghosts don't sleep." Blade looked around, but didn't see the spirit. "Come on, get up. I want to know where you've been."

"Asleep, I guess. Or maybe in a lingo." Nick yawned from somewhere to Blade's left. "I don't know."

"Would you just get down here?" Blade snapped. "Hey Raven! Wake up! Nick's back!"

Sky jumped at the outburst, flipping over in her hammock and falling to the platform below. Except instead of hitting the platform, she went _through_ it and landed on her butt on the floor. Sky didn't look phased by the pain. She looked more shocked by the fact that she literally went through a sheet of metal. Blade's eyes were wide.

"How did I do that?" Sky finally asked.

"And how are you glowing?" Blade added, still in shock.

Sky looked down to her hands. Not only did she have a faint blue aura surrounding her body, she appeared translucent like a piece of stained glass. "What's happening?"

A soft snore made Blade and Sky jump. They looked up towards the source: Sky's hammock, which appeared weighted down as though something or someone still lay in it. Sky slowly stood and walked towards the ladder. She climbed up, tiptoeing to her hammock. Blade watched her, his imagination running wild.

Sky pulled on the edge of the hammock and dumped its occupant on the ground.

"Ow! Come on, man! What'd you do that for?"

Sky wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Blade blinked a few times to confirm he wasn't dreaming.

Sky's body had fallen out of the hammock, moving and talking like a living person. Except the voice that came out was Nick's. Even the eyes of the body were different: instead of Sky's blue-green, the irises were amber-colored.

Sky's head moved around. "What's going on?" Nick's voice asked.

"Uh…...Nick? You may want to look at your hands." Blade said when he finally found his voice.

Nick rolled his eyes. "What? These hands?" He held up his hands mockingly, and then realized he was actually holding someone's hands up. Nick looked down, and he screamed in Spanish. "What in the heck? Why am I in a girl's body?! That's so weird!"

"Hey, that's _my_ body!" Sky snapped. "You're the one possessing it! _That's_ what's weird here!"

"This entire situation is weird!" Blade snapped, making Nick and Sky shut up. "Nick, get out of Sky right now."

"I don't even know how I got here!" Nick protested. "How am I supposed to come out?"

In the blink of an eye, his eyes turned back to blue-green. The ghostly image of Sky disappeared and the ghost of Nick Lopez popped back into existence. Sky and Nick looked down at themselves, sighing in relief.

"That's better." Sky said, standing and dusting off her pajama pants.

"I never thought I'd be so relieved to see myself as a ghost." Nick sighed.

Blade couldn't quite process all of this. It was like someone threw a wrench into the clockwork of his mind. "What just happened?"

"I'm sure it was nothing." Sky said. "Either we're all dreaming or we're sleep-deprived or something. Let's get some sleep and we'll worry about it tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" Blade asked. "Sky, we've dealt with a lot of supernatural stuff—sometimes more than I would've liked, to be honest—but this takes the cake."

"It's not real." Sky assured. "Tomorrow we'll wake up and it'll all be a dream." She climbed back into her hammock. Nick settled down in the corner and shut his eyes meditatively. Blade shut off the lights, hoping that things would make sense tomorrow.

* * *

When morning came, it seemed Sky was right. Last night must've been a dream, because Sky and Nick looked absolutely normal, like nothing happened.

"I told you it was nothing." Sky said as she dressed in her jeans, sneakers, and T-shirt. She tied a bandana over her head to keep her hair back.

"It was still weird." Nick said, floating above her.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Nick there." Blade said as they journeyed outside. "Since I've known you, Sky, I've learned to tolerate certain supernatural things. Especially since Nick came back. But what happened last night was almost too much for my brain to handle."

"It _was_ pretty strange." Sky said. "And, if it was a dream, what did it mean?"

"Don't eat chicken noodle soup before bed?" Nick suggested, seeing how that was Sky's last meal before she went to sleep.

"Or maybe it's 'Never listen to Nick's ghost stories before bed.'" Sky teased.

"Hey, my ghost stories at the best!" Nick scoffed.

"Fine. Prove it. You said that a bunch of spirits live in the forest. Let's go find them." Sky suggested, strolling towards the trees.

"Shouldn't you be staying close to base?" Blade called after her.

"I'm still grounded, so I can't go into a fire." Sky said.

Blade couldn't argue with that. Besides, Sky was too much of a free spirit to be held down for too long. "Fine. Just don't go far and be back soon."

"I'll keep an eye on her!" Nick assured, following Sky.

"It's you I'm worried about!" Blade laughed.

* * *

During fire season, Sky tended to only do short hikes at night, when she wouldn't be needed in case of a fire. She didn't do much day hiking in case of an emergency. But since she was grounded for medical reasons, she decided to regain her strength through hiking. Nick always accompanied her, mainly to ensure she had someone to alert the base in case she was injured again.

"If there are so many ghosts in these forests, why don't they come near the base?" Sky asked.

"Okay, maybe I exaggerated." Nick admitted. "But there are ghosts in the park. You know, campers who got lost, fliers who crashed, a ranger who spent most of his life up here. Most of them like to stay in the areas where they died."

"Huh. Wonder if Katherine ever talked to them." Sky stopped on the trail and began crawling up the rocks nearby.

"What are you doing now?" Nick asked.

"Climbing." Sky shrugged. "The next part of the trail is right above me."

"And you can't go around?" Nick rolled his eyes.

"Where's the fun in that? Besides, the trail below me is wide and the hill isn't that steep." Sky continued her free-climbing. "If I fall, I'll tuck-and-roll."

"Yeah, I'd prefer if you didn't fall at all." Nick said.

"Then you better keep an eye on me." Sky suggested.

"Oh boy." Nick sighed. "If you get hurt, it's your own fault."

"I'm not going to get hurt. What's the worst that can happen?" Sky grabbed a vine just above her head. When she pulled the vine towards her, she discovered a familiar (thankfully nonvenomous) scaly creature in her hand, and it hissed at her as though in annoyance. "Snake!" Sky yelped, dropping the snake. Unfortunately, her surprised jump caused her to lose her grip on the rocks, and she began falling backwards.

"The tree! Grab the tree!" Nick yelped.

Sky pushed off the rock and twisted in the air, stretching her arms out towards the branch of a nearby tree. She could easily grab the branch, swing back, and land on her feet. It wasn't her first time, after all.

But when she tried to grab the branch, her hands went right through it.

Sky yelped as she tumbled into the shrubbery and started bouncing and rolling down the hill. She landed at another section of the trail, spitting leaves out of her mouth. "Huh. That didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. I didn't feel a thing." She looked to her hands. "I'm see-through?!" Her eyes widened. "Nick! Nick, where are you?"

"Up here." Came Nick's pained reply. Sky hurriedly crawled/climbed back up to where she was climbing, face-planting a few times from her disorientation. When she reached the top, she saw her body lying on the ground. Her eyes were amber again.

"Oh not again." Sky groaned.

Nick looked down and realized quickly what happened. "I'm inside you again? What the heck is going on?"

"Okay, something is seriously wrong here." Sky stood up and wobbled a little before standing up straight. "I can't feel my weight on my feet. It's really weird. Like I'm about to topple over any minute now."

"You get used to that." Nick said.

"I don't _want_ to get used to it!" Sky said. "I want to be in my own body again!"

"You think I don't want to be out of it?" Nick tried to stand, and he also swayed unsteadily. "I'm not used to being on two legs. How do you guys move with these things?"

"Well excuse me for not being born with wheels." Sky sassed.

"Okay, don't panic!" Nick urged. "Let's just get back to base and tell Blade."

Sky nodded in agreement. But it was slow going. Sky couldn't feel her weight on her feet as she ran, and she ended up tripping and face-planting on the ground. She still couldn't feel a thing, only further disorienting her. Nick wasn't used to running on two feet. He quickly grew tired and tripped several times. All in all, it took about an hour to get back to the base.

Blade spotted them first. "There you two are! What took you so long?"

"Blade, it happened again!" Nick said. "I accidentally possessed Sky again!"

"Doesn't look like it." Blade noted.

Sky and Nick glanced down and saw they were once more back to normal. Nick groaned and muttered something in Spanish. "Blade, we're serious." Sky said. "We switched again. I went through a tree and tumbled down a hill and I didn't get hurt. There's something happening to us."

Blade did look troubled, but also confused. "What exactly is happening?"

After exchanging a look, Nick and Sky became silent. How could they explain this? They were switching places? One of them was possessing the other and didn't know it? How did any of it make sense, even for their crazy life?

* * *

Sky tried to forget about the whole thing and chalk up the experience as a hallucination from too much ibuprofen Sparky "prescribed" to her for the pain of her injuries. She had no idea of any health concerns related to taking two pills every other day, but what else could explain the experience?

Humming to herself, Sky rummaged around the kitchen for breakfast and settled on some toast. She tapped her nail on the counter as she waited for the bread to pop up.

"Hey _Cuervo!"_

Speaking of popping up…

Sky smiled at Nick as the ghost instantly appeared beside her. "Hey Nick."

"What's for breakfast?" Nick asked.

"Toast." Sky said. "Do you ever eat anything? I know you don't get hungry, but do you ever just eat something because you want to?"

"Most food goes right through me." Nick said. "Literally."

"Ever miss eating?" Sky asked as her toast popped up from the toaster.

"Sometimes." Nick said. "I don't miss burning my tongue by eating a food that's too hot."

Suddenly, Nick disappeared and Sky appeared in her ghostly form. Nick was back in Sky's body. He pinched Sky's toast in his fingers, and he yelped in pain as the heat burned his fingers.

"Hey!" Sky yelped, going after her breakfast. But the toast went right through her hands. "Nick!"

"Why am I back in your body?!" Nick groaned. "This is so weird!"

"It's weirder to hear your voice come out of my mouth!" Sky snapped.

"Sky?" Maru's voice called from outside. "You okay?"

"Not really!" Sky called back.

Maru and Sparky entered the kitchen. "What's up?" Sparky asked.

"Well just look at us!" Nick said.

"All I see is you two standing in the kitchen with toast on the ground." Sparky said.

Sky and Nick looked at themselves. They were back to normal yet again. "Something wrong with you two?" Maru asked.

"We're not sure anymore." Nick admitted.

* * *

"Shouldn't we tell someone what's going on?" Nick asked Sky, watching her do some exercises to regain the strength and flexibility in her recently healed injuries.

"I would love to, but no one is believing us." Sky said. "If we could control this weird switching thing, that would be great."

"If we could control it, I wouldn't do it anymore." Nick said. "It seems like a strange violation."

"Violation of my body?" Sky sassed with a teasing smirk. She tried a yoga pose Harley taught her.

"I guess. I was thinking more about violation of privacy." Nick said. "If I wanted to get to know you better, I wouldn't have possessed you."

"Do you even know how to possess someone?" Sky wobbled a little as she tried the pose. She had to stand on one leg and stretch her other leg behind her.

"Not really." Nick said.

In a flash, Nick and Sky switched yet again. Nick yelped as he suddenly toppled over. He didn't even know how to brace himself in a human body, and he practically face-planted onto the ground.

"You sure you don't know how to possess someone?" Sky huffed. "And can't you stop me from face-planting like that? I don't want to reinjure myself after I just got better."

"It's not my fault I don't know how to use a human body!" Nick snapped. "Ford above, this feels so weird. I'm in a _girl's_ body for Chrysler's sake!"

"Hey, you got a problem with my body?" Sky demanded.

"Uh, no! No, of course not! It's a great body. I mean a nice body. I mean—"

"Okay, stop. It's weird again."

"Yeah let's go tell Blade!"

The two of them ran off, but Sky ended up tripping.

"Not so easy being a ghost, huh?" Nick sassed.

"Just help me up." Sky growled. Nick took her hand and pulled her to her feet. As he did, they switched back again.

"Okay, this is already getting old." Nick sighed.

"Maybe this entire day is a dream." Sky suggested.

"I don't think we're going to be that lucky." Nick said.

* * *

Sky and Nick continued their strange switching throughout the day. Somehow, nobody witnessed it. In fact, the rest of the base (besides Blade) thought they were crazy.

"This is so frustrating." Sky growled, angrily stomping around the kitchen and grabbing the materials to roast s'mores over tonight's bonfire.

"I actually don't want to go through walls in fear of getting stuck." Nick sighed. "Sky, what's happening to us?"

"If I knew, I would tell you!" Sky snapped. She sighed heavily. "Sorry. None of this makes sense. I've dealt with a lot of paranormal and supernatural stuff in the past, but this is so outside the norm for us. At least in those past times, we had some idea of what we were doing. We could prove what was happening to everyone else, and we had some resource to help us."

"I wish I could help, Sky." Nick said. "But before I met Katherine, everything I knew about ghost abilities was from my own trial-and-error."

"I think that's why I'm so upset about all this. I hate being in the dark. Not knowing." Sky gathered the s'mores stuff in her arms. "Why does my life feel like the plot of a novel or a bad TV show?"

"Who says it has to be like a _bad_ show?" Nick said. "If I had to watch a show like that, I'd give it five stars!"

Sky smiled a little. "Thanks, Nick."

"Hey Sky!" Drip shouted from outside. "Where's the s'mores stuff?"

"S'MORES!" Avalanche cheered.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Sky and Nick headed out the door (Nick still wouldn't float through the walls) and approached the small bonfire.

"About time!" Drip hurried over and snatched the supplies from Sky.

"A wise man once said, 'Patience is a virtue.'" Sky said as she headed for her spot next to Harley.

"Patience may be a virtue, but never get between the Smokejumpers and their s'mores." Maru chuckled.

"Do any more switching today?" Harley teased, sitting on a short log by the fire. She scooted over so Sky could sit down.

"I'll have you know—" Sky didn't get to finish before she and Nick switched yet again. Nick lost his balance and fell backwards over the log. Sky looked to her ghostly form and groaned. "Not again."

Everyone else around the fire froze, staring at Sky and Nick. Avalanche had stuffed some marshmallows into his mouth, and a couple of them fell out when his jaw dropped.

"Okay, we believe you." Sparky said.

Nick groaned as he pulled himself back onto the log. "No offense, Sky, but I hate being human."

"Well I'm not a fan of being a ghost." Sky said.

"And I'm _definitely_ not a fan of hearing Nick's voice come out of Sky's mouth." Harley said. "How long has this been happening?"

"Just today. Maybe since last night. I'm not totally convinced that wasn't a dream." Nick answered.

"Nick, do you remember anything from after the accident at the race?" Katherine asked.

"Not really." Nick said. "It was like I was dreaming. I haven't dreamt in years. Next thing I know, I'm hearing Blade complaining about my snoring, and I woke up. I guess I was back."

"Is that normal, Katherine?" Blade asked. Everyone's attention went to the ghost expert.

"Well, if a ghost uses too much of their energy, they tend to disappear and go into a sort of lingo while they recuperate." Katherine said. "But you should've just reappeared once you regained your strength, Nick. This here looks more like a possession."

"But I don't know how to possess people." Nick said. "At least, I've never tried."

"How hard is it to go into a person's body and control them?" Harley asked.

Katherine thought for a moment. "There's a large difference in technique regarding going through a person versus going into them." Her eyes widened a bit in realization. "Wait a minute. Back at the crash. Sky, you said you were dying."

"It certainly looked like it." Sky said. "I appeared as a spirit beside my own body. I couldn't get back in until Nick dragged me back in."

"It's not strange for someone to appear as a spirit next to their dying body. Sometimes, they are resuscitated and that spirit reenters the body. Or the body dies and the spirit goes on to either haunt the mortal world or moves on." Katherine said. "But, Nick, you had to pull Sky's spirit back into her body."

"Oh no." Harley gasped. "Nick, did you leave Sky's body when I came by to heal her?"

Nick thought for a moment. As he did, Sky and Nick switched back to normal. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I had a chance." Nick answered Harley. "I was about to, and then I blacked out."

Harley slapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide like she just realized she did an embarrassingly bad thing. "Good Ford, I think I accidentally locked you in Sky's body."

"You did what?" Sky asked.

"Well, I didn't know Nick was in there with you!" Harley said. "I mean, I just didn't know what was happening. All I knew was you were hurt and I had to save you."

"A dead body is easier to possess and reanimate. A broken and dying body is just as easy to enter and possess." Katherine explained. "Nick, I think you accidentally possessed Sky when Harley locked you both in. You two are stuck in one body and seem to take turns controlling that body."

"We're certainly not in control of who gets a turn." Sky said. "We've been spontaneously switching all day."

"Katherine, what can we do about this?" Blade asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Katherine stared at Nick and Sky thoughtfully. "It's one thing for a ghost to learn possession. It's another for a ghost to be locked in a living creature. Most ghosts are locked in inanimate objects."

"I believe there is a legend of an occurrence like this." Windlifter spoke up. It was always a surprise when the normally silent chopper spoke during social gatherings. "I will call a family friend of mind to consult with us on the matter."

"I can summon some ghosts I know." Katherine suggested. "I have a lot of spiritual friends who owe me favors. Maybe they can help separate Nick's spirit from Sky's body."

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Sky asked.

"For one thing, you're definitely off firefighting until we get this sorted out." Blade said.

"Until we get you two separated, I think you better just take it easy and try to not get hurt." Katherine said. "Nick, you'll have to learn how to work a human body. Sky, you're going to have to get used to be in ghost form."

"But if we're getting this sorted out, why get used to it?" Nick asked.

Katherine looked down. She knew what she would say next would only cause more stress. Then again, Nick did ask. So she would answer.

"Because I'm not entirely sure we _can_ get you two separated."


	11. Stress

**Chapter Eleven – Stress**

Windlifter called his friend the next morning. His friend, a shaman from a reservation in Louisiana, had some business to take care of in the tribe. But she promised to fly over to Piston Peak in a week.

In the meantime, Sky and Nick tried to adjust to their new "living situation," if you will. When in ghost form, they never tried to go through solid objects. When he was in control of Sky's body, Nick had to learn to walk properly and use his hands and fingers. Bad enough that he wasn't accustomed to feeling his weight on his skids, but now he had to feel it on his feet and learn how to walk. He proved to be rather clumsy in a human body. Sky didn't do much better when she was in ghost form. She felt like she was floating instead of actually walking. Not once did she try to fly, too afraid that she'd never come back down again.

Plus, it seemed Sky and Nick switched control at the most random of times. They switched when Sky was in the middle of drinking some milk, and Nick almost choked while simultaneously snorting milk out of his nose. They switched while Sky was doing pull-ups, and Nick slipped off the bar and fell on his back. They switched in the middle of Sky and Harley's conversation, even though Nick was miles away helping Blade with spot fire scouting.

Sky didn't want to worry Skipper or Dusty. So when she called to check in, she just told them everything was going well and she would be ready to work soon. Sparky decided to stay at the base, and told Skipper he was helping Sky heal. Sparky, too, agreed that nobody should know quite yet about the whole "switching places" thing.

As Sky showered one evening, she tried to imagine the hot water washing her worries away. _Why can't I be a normal psyche human who only has to worry about her pyrokinesis going crazy and setting something on fire? I remember wishing I could be part of a ghost story as a kid. Talk about "be careful what you wish for."_

Quite abruptly, Sky didn't feel the hot water on her head. She looked up to her hands, which she previously used to massage shampoo through her scalp. They were see-through. It quickly became apparent that she didn't stand under the water stream from the shower, but right next to it.

"Nick."

"Yeah?"

"Don't you dare look down."

"My eyes are up and closed. Trust me."

Sky looked over to her body and growled. "Dear Ford, this is embarrassing."

"I'm so sorry. I was passing the showers on my way to the kitchen, and I guess I just popped in." Nick groaned.

"I'd ask you to get out, but you're in my body." Sky couldn't even look towards Nick. "Just keep your eyes up and your hands off."

"I respect you far too much to even consider doing otherwise." Nick assured.

"And I appreciate that." Sky said. "But I wish it weren't happening. This is stupid. I can't even keep up with my personal hygiene, it would seem."

"If it helps, I'll learn how to brush your teeth." Nick offered.

"I just want this to be over with already!" Sky snapped. Suddenly, she and Nick switched yet again.

"I'm back!" Nick cheered.

"Get out!" Sky screeched, wrapping her arms around her chest.

"Sorry!" Nick scrambled out of the shower, right through all the walls, and rounded the corner in his mad dash away from Sky. He slammed into Blade and bounced backwards.

Blade groaned in pain. Nick may be a ghost, but it still hurt to run into him when he wasn't intangible. "Nick….."

" _Lo siento!"_ Nick said, frantically speaking in Spanish.

"Nick!" Blade snapped. " _No habla Español._ Take a deep breath."

Nick settled on his skids and slumped. "Sky's really stressed out. That's all."

"I heard her scream. I'm aware." Blade gestured for Nick to follow him, and they journeyed out towards Blade's favorite lookout spot. "Nick, this is weird and hard to process for all of us. But we're going to figure it out, and then you and Sky will be all better."

"How do you keep your hopes up?" Nick asked. "What we're going through right now, and after what Katherine said—"

"I have to balance out being realistic and being hopeful. That's what I do as chief of this team." Blade said. "I'm not sure how to be realistic with something so….unreal. So I'm going the hopeful route. And there is no reason we can't figure this out, even if Katherine thinks otherwise."

"I think she's the one trying to be realistic." Nick mumbled.

"Good. Then I'll keep the hopes up." Blade glanced to his friend. "But, Nick, you and Sky need to be patient. Not just with getting answers, but with each other. I think you two have known each other long enough to tolerate each other's company. I'm not saying this whole situation is a good thing, but you have a chance to really understand her…in the same way I do."

Nick glanced to Blade, and then he sighed. He envied Blade, and even Dusty. They had bonds with Sky that Nick may never achieve. But Blade had a point. Despite the stress caused by this situation, this is the closest Nick may ever get to really understanding Sky.

* * *

As Nick watched everyone disappear to their hangers and turn in for the night, he noticed Sky sitting out on Blade's cliff instead of coming to bed. Nick floated out to her and settled down in the empty space next to the young woman.

"Hey." Sky greeted.

"Sup." Nick nodded back.

Sky sighed, rolling her shoulders and stretching her back. "I'm sorry I yelled before. I was just mad. Not at you, but just mad."

"No, no, I get it." Nick said. "This is weird."

As if on cue, the two of them switched again.

"I'm reaching the point where I don't care and I'm not surprised." Sky droned.

Nick sighed. "This stinks."

Sky stared at the stars. "Nick? Am I a freak?"

"No, of course not. What makes you think that?" Nick asked.

"Let's see, where do I start?" Sky ticked off each point on her fingers. "Orphan by abandonment, super-strong psyche human, rare powers, fraternizes with ghosts, and now I have a ghost stuck inside me which results in this weird switching thing. My life is not normal, Nick. My biological family is screwed up in more ways than one. I don't even want to bring up my uncle and APS. Why can't I be a normal psyche human? Why do I have to be this ultra-powerful, supernaturally tied psyche human?"

"Well, the supernatural stuff can't always be avoided. Especially not with your dad or Blade." Nick pointed out. They switched again, back to normal.

"But why is all this happening to me?" Sky asked. "I don't know. I just feel so…so…."

"Alone?" Nick asked.

Sky looked to the ghost. "Yeah. I doubt I'm the only psyche human with problems. Maybe I'm just dwelling on everything bad in my life because I'm stressed." She patted her pockets, and then pulled out the amulet Nick gifted her. She clipped the amulet around her neck. "Somehow, I feel calmer when I wear this. None of this is anyone's fault. I'm just worried and confused."

Nick nodded in understanding. "We all are. Though, I guess someone _is_ at fault here. If I had just left before Harley healed you—"

"Whoa, whoa, slow it down there, soldier." Sky laughed. "You saved my life. I would not be here if it weren't for you." Nick smiled a little at that, and Sky looked back up to the stars. "Did you always want to be an actor?"

"Yeah. Been a dream of mine for a while. See my name in lights. Live in Hollywood." Nick chuckled. "What a life."

"How was working on a show about cops?" Sky asked. "I mean, was any of it accurate at the time?"

"As accurate as we could be for Hollywood." Nick said. "We visited real police stations and talked to actual cops and detectives. It was really cool."

Sky bobbed her head in agreement. She was silent for a moment. "Had you ever thought about going into actual law enforcement?"

"Yeah. Once or twice." Nick said. "I don't know. I'm not convinced I would be brave enough."

"I bet you could be." Sky said. "You could make a good firefighter, too."

"What makes you think that?" Nick scoffed.

"Because you spent years being a guardian, watching over people." Sky said. "Sounds like you're perfect for the job."

Nick stared at Sky for a moment, surprised, and then he smiled again. "Thanks, _Cuervo."_

* * *

"How do you feel, Sky?" Katherine asked, watching Sky move while she was in spirit form.

"Light like a feather." Sky answered.

"And I feel like I have cinderblocks attached to my feet." Nick said, shaking Sky's/his foot to make his point. The two of them switched again, back to normal.

"I wish we could do more to help." Harley said. "I heal injuries, sometimes mental and emotional therapy, but I don't know what there is to heal here."

"I don't suppose we could find an exorcist?" Nick joked.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is for a ghost?" Katherine scoffed. "Exorcists are discriminatory and harm ghosts in their work." Based on her tone, Katherine was clearly serious.

"I'm anxious for Windlifter's friend to get here." Sky said. "This switching constantly is messing with me mentally and physically."

"I'll say." Nick agreed. "Sometimes, even after we switch back, I get nauseous but I can't throw up."

"I'm sorry we can't be of more help, guys." Harley said.

"It's okay. You're doing what you can." Sky assured. "Besides, you guys have to leave tomorrow. You have to think about your job."

Harley and Katherine nodded slowly. Earlier that day, Finn sent them an urgent message requesting Harley and Katherine's return to Radiator Springs for a new mission. "It sounds like it'll be a short mission." Harley assured. "Simple undercover work. We'll check in with you guys when it's done."

"For now, just remember the things I taught you." Katherine advised. "And do let us know what Windlifter's friend says."

* * *

"You know, I think I'm getting the hang of this jogging thing." Nick said. While in control of Sky's body, Sky decided to have Nick try jogging and running.

"You're doing pretty well." Sky admitted. "Now the key is to—wait, what are you doing?"

"I wanna go faster!" Nick sped up, going from a jog to a run down the trail.

"Wait, Nick!" Sky ran/floated after him. "Slow down! Watch out for the rock!"

Too late. Nick's foot hit a rock, and he tripped. He tumbled and rolled down a hill and ended up stopping on the base. He lay on his back, groaning in pain. Sky approached him, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Ouch." Nick groaned.

"You know I'm going to be feeling that soreness when we switch back." Sky sighed.

"Sorry." Nick slowly rolled up and stood. He looked to his—or, rather, Sky's—hands. "This is the longest we've stayed switched."

"Just give it a minute." Sky said. Waiting for a moment, the two did switch back to normal again.

"The switches are staying longer." Nick said. "I don't like getting used to being in a human body, much less a girl's one."

"I certainly don't want to get used to being a ghost." Sky said.

Nick stared at the ground. "What if Katherine's right? What if we never get separated? What if we spend the rest of our lives like this?"

"Okay, that spiraled way faster than it should have." Sky ran her fingers through her hair. "Nick, listen to me. There is no reason for us to panic."

"How can you be so calm right now?" Nick demanded.

Sky rubbed her amulet with her thumb. "I don't know."

"Hey Sky! Nick!" Maru drove up hurriedly. "Windlifter's buddy is here!"

Neither Sky nor Nick have ever moved so fast. In fact, everyone on the base gathered around to hear what Windlifter's friend had to say. The shaman was a 1962 Fairlane colored midnight blue, and her eyes moved around and seemed to take in every detail of her surroundings.

"This is Luna." Windlifter introduced his friend to everyone. "Raven, Nick, step forward." The two aforementioned did so, and Windlifter spoke to Luna in what everyone assumed to be a Native American language. Luna listened closely, and then drove up closer to Nick and Sky. She stared at them for a long moment, her gaze analytical. Luna had a bag with her, from which she pulled out a glass jar with a green powder. Luna pulled out the powder puff from inside the jar, and she promptly slapped both Sky and Nick in their faces with said puffball. Even as a ghost, the powder dust settled on Nick's face and stained it. Luna honked her horn when Sky tried to wipe the powder away. She stared at Sky and Nick again with that analytical gaze. Then, something changed in her eyes. Almost like a mix of alarm and frustration.

Luna reversed and spoke to Windlifter in that same language no one else understood. Windlifter's neutral expression did not change. But his tone became fervent. Luna's tone turned firm, and the conversation apparently ended.

Windlifter turned to Sky and Nick. Sky forced a hopeful smile. "Good news?"

"No." Windlifter said, not wasting any time. "One body cannot host two spirits. That is why you and Nick switch control like you do."

"Will it ever stop?" Nick asked.

"Yes." Windlifter said. "But it will only stop after one of you has disappeared completely."

"Disappeared?" Sparky repeated. "Like, move on?"

Windlifter asked Luna for clarification. "No. The spirit will just evaporate into thin air. The extra spirit needs to find something to anchor them to the mortal world. That is the only way you two will return to normal."

"But I _do_ have something to anchor me to this world." Nick said. "Blade is my connection to this world. That's why I stayed."

Windlifter conversed with Luna again. "Luna says we must be careful with an anchor that is living, or else you and Blade may end up with the same problem you and Sky have now. It would be better if your anchor were with an object or a place."

"But there isn't anything stronger keeping me in the mortal world." Nick protested. "I came back because of Blade, and Blade alone."

"That's all we have to work with." Sky said. "How do we separate for good?"

Luna said something, and Windlifter translated. "Pray to the spirits, and be prepared to prove your anchor is strong."

* * *

Luna and Windlifter went off into the forest to talk more about the problem at hand. Sky, Nick, and Blade also requested time to speak privately. Despite everyone's concerns and desire to help, the rest of the base gave them their space.

"Okay, I'll say it first." Nick said right as he and Sky switched. "That was a monumental waste of time."

"I have to agree." Sky said. "We're really supposed to just pray that we'll switch back to normal? That's going to work?"

"Windlifter is going to do everything he can." Blade assured. "I'm sure Luna has an idea on how to force you to split up."

Sky and Nick switched back to normal. "She better." Nick huffed, floating away.

"Nick." Blade sighed when the ghost ignored him and continued off.

"Let me talk to him." Sky suggested. Blade nodded in agreement. At least Sky and Nick could continue a conversation between each other without being interrupted by their switching. Sky ran after Nick, following him into the main hanger. Sky shut the door: a sign to the others that she needed privacy. She paused for a second to stare at her hand pressed against the hanger door. She felt so detached from her own body, like she needed to tie bricks to her feet to keep her down.

After a moment, Sky finally spoke. "Nick, you need to calm down—"

"I _am_ calm." Nick sighed. "I'm just frustrated, that's all. I thought Windlifter's friend was going to do something—some sort of voodoo whatnot or whatever—and 'poof!' We'd be back to normal. Instead, we have to sit here and pray that everything will work out. News flash: prayer does not always work."

"I agree. But I'm not entirely sure that there's a science in this world that will help us." Sky said.

Nick stared off into space. "Those healing powers that your friend Harley has, what's the extent of those? Can she heal mental or emotional injuries?"

"I think so, to some extent." Sky said. "Why?"

"I was just thinking…" Nick muttered. "I mean, I've been a spirit longer, and it's _your_ body, so maybe I'll be the one to disappear. And, when that happens—"

" _If_ it happens, which it won't." Sky insisted.

" _When_ it happens, I was thinking that maybe Harley could erase Blade's memories of me." Nick said.

Sky stared at him in surprise. "What? Why would you want that?"

"Because I'm the reason he dug himself into a hole of depression." Nick said.

"You died because of an accident. That's not your fault." Sky said. "And let's not forget that you're also the reason Blade became a firefighter. If Blade forgets that, it'll cause problems."

"Then make him forget that I died." Nick suggested. "You're a good liar, you can tell him something crazy about why I'm not around and he'll believe you."

"Nick, that's not going to work." Sky said. "Besides, I don't know if Harley can erase memories."

Nick groaned in frustration. "Look, all I know is that Blade may have clawed his way out of that hole, but the hole is still there. All it takes is one push—one of us dying or disappearing forever—to shove him back in; and, this time, he may not come back out."

"Blade has a lot of people who care about him, Nick." Sky reminded him. "Maru, Windlifter, pretty much everyone on this base. They're not going to let anything happen to him regardless of what happens to us. You've got to stop blaming yourself for this."

"But it _is_ my fault this time!" Nick insisted. "I'm the one who got us into this mess."

"Well, I'm the one who got injured in that race." Sky said. "Maybe if I hadn't raced in the first place—"

"You have to race. That's what you do. It's what you and Dusty do." Nick said. "But you were holding on just fine after I helped you reenter your body. If I had left before Harley healed you, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"So why did you stay for so long?" Sky demanded. "You're right. I was doing fine, and Harley was on her way. So then why did you stay with me?"

"Because I—" Nick froze. His jaw hung loose, and a strange sound came out of his mouth.

Sky raised an eyebrow. "You….what?"

Nick felt like his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth. "Well….I just…I…care about you….Sky…..I care about you a lot…."

Sky noticed how Nick wouldn't look towards her, and he seemed to be flexing his jaw as though it were stiff. "You…care about me?" She repeated slowly.

"Yes." Nick said. "I…well, I…like you…."

"You _like_ me?" Sky couldn't keep the teasing grin off her lips.

"I…..um…li-l-la-lo-llll….." Nick made a bunch of "L" sounds, but didn't form any legible words until he blurted out, "Gotta go!" and disappeared.

Sky giggled, temporarily forgetting her worries. She felt heat in her face, and she looked at her reflection in the polished surface of a nearby hubcap. Yep, her cheeks gave away her blush. _Never felt that before._ She mused. Her smile faded, and she glanced to the spot where Nick once stood. _Never felt that before at all._

* * *

 **A/N: I hope this chapter was okay. The story is coming along, and I'm getting a lot more writing done. But I'm putting this story and** _ **Flame of Happiness**_ **on hold briefly so I can publish a holiday** _ **Trolls**_ **story. I promise I will get another chapter for this story up soon!**


	12. Dream Guidance

**A/N: Happy Christmas, folks! I hope you spent this day with family and you weren't just surfing Fanfiction all day. As a special treat, here is another chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve – Dream Guidance**

Of all the places Blade expected to find Sky, he didn't think she'd be up on the roof of his hanger.

"How on earth did you get up there?" Blade called up to her.

"I climbed." Sky shrugged, flipping through a book in her hands.

"Well come down from there. Carefully." Blade ordered.

Sky chuckled a little. She scooted to the edge of the roof, put her book in her teeth, and grabbed hold of the gutter, sliding down like it were a pole in a firehouse. She landed perfectly on her feet, removing the book from her mouth and checking the spine for damage. "Do I worry you, Blade?"

"Yes. It's like having a teenager on the base." Blade huffed. "Where's Nick?"

"Trying to get as far away from here as possible." Sky said. "As if that's going to prevent us from switching."

"Has it worked?" Blade asked.

"No." Sky said. "We just switched about half an hour ago, and I ended up in a New York City Chinatown. Or maybe it was actually China."

"Well, he'd better get home soon." Blade sighed. "What's that you're reading?"

"The Megami-Hito book I got in Basque Country." Sky said. "I don't really know why I keep it. It's just full of pictures. But, oddly enough, I feel more relaxed just by studying the pictures in this book."

"I'm surprised by how relaxed you have been through this entire ordeal." Blade noted as they departed into the hanger to retire to bed.

"Me too." Sky admitted. "I'm actually a bit confused because I'm so calmer than I expected. In the past, I've always freaked out when something really weird happened to me. Of course, given my track record, maybe I shouldn't be so freaked out over all this craziness."

"I doubt you've gotten used to weird things happening to you." Blade said. "Any idea why this time is different?"

Sky reached into her pillowcase and pulled out the amulet Nick gave her. "Honestly, I'm crediting this thing. I know it seems strange, but I've been doing some research on the stones in this amulet. The red jasper and the snowflake obsidian and all this stuff. Each stone has some sort of healing power or mental calming ability. I never believed in healing crystals before."

"But….?" Blade could hear the doubt in Sky's voice.

"But whenever I felt nervous about something, whenever I feel overwhelmed by stress, I put on the amulet and I feel better." Sky said. "It can't be a coincidence. Maybe it's just in my head, but it actually feels like something is changing within me."

"It could be just in your head." Blade said.

"I know. But it doesn't explain why I feel physically stronger when I'm wearing the amulet. Sometimes it feels warm, like there's a power or something radiating from it." Sky rubbed the amulet with her thumb. "I hardly take this thing off anymore."

Blade considered Sky's words. "Well, if it works, keep doing it." He wasn't sure he believed that the amulet helped Sky's mental health, but he wasn't going to tell her to stop doing something that was truly helping her.

* * *

 _Over the years, Sky picked up the cues that told her she dreamed. The subtle differences between a dream setting and the real thing—the shades and hues, the senses she lacked—Sky soon grew accustomed to them, which helped her learn to control her dreams._

 _But this dream felt different. Sky felt like a spectator watching a movie. And she wasn't alone._

" _Nick?"_

"Cuervo?"

" _What are you doing in my dream?" Sky asked the helicopter beside her._

" _Oh, good. It's your dream." Nick sighed in relief. "For a second there, I was really confused."_

" _Still doesn't explain why you're here." Sky said. "Though, if we're stuck in the same body, we must be sharing the same dream."_

" _But where are we?" Nick asked. He and Sky looked around, and they saw that they stood in a cave. Thanks to the wooden, branch-design chandelier, the place was well-lit. There were two fires: a large one that provided warmth, and a smaller one sitting on a shelf built into the wall. The smaller flames burned bright green._

 _A woman sat at the only pieces of furniture in the cave: a wooden chair and table. She had an assortment of knives, carving utensils, paints, and paintbrushes set up in front of her. The beautiful young woman wore a simple green dress. But her appearance changed every time Sky and Nick blinked. At first, she had fair skin and curly brown hair. Then she had tan skin and straight black hair. Then she had dark skin and mocha brown hair. Her appearance never stayed the same for more than a minute. One thing did stay the same: the detailed, black tattoo-like markings on the side of her face, going from her temple and down her jaw a ways. There were four different marks: a fire, a tree, a cloud, and a snowflake. The woman carved two figures in extreme detail. She already had one finished: an old-model vehicle. Currently, the woman worked on a wooden figure that looked like a human._

" _What are you doing?" Nick asked. The woman didn't answer. In fact, she gave no indication she heard him._

" _I don't think we can talk to her, Nick." Sky said. "We're just viewers here."_

" _But where_ is _here?" Nick wondered._

 _The woman finished her painting, and she held up the wooden figure. "Perfect." She nodded in satisfaction. She took one of her knives and carved a symbol into the doll. Sky walked over and looked over the woman's shoulder. She gasped softly when she saw it was the same symbol as what was carved on her amulet. The woman stood, walked to the hearths, and tossed the wooden figure into the green fire._

" _All that work, and she burns it?" Sky murmured._

 _As the figure burned to ashes, the flames grew bigger. In fact, some of the green fire flowed from its source and swirled about the room like ribbons of flame. The flames created a column in front of the woman. The flames compacted and disappeared, and a human materialized in front of the woman. The human wore a toga, indicating a very old-age human._

" _Welcome to life, my child." The woman said. She went to the table and lifted the wooden figure of the vehicle. She handed the figure to the human. "This is your Soul Connect Partner. You must find them at some point in your life. For you are a psyche human, and you are most powerful when with your Partner."_

Sky. Sky, wake up! Hey, wake up!

* * *

Sky's eyes flew open. Nick, apparently parked next to Sky's bed, jumped in a startled manner. They looked to Blade, who stared back in concern.

"Sorry." Blade said. "You were talking kind of loudly in your sleep. I was worried."

"I'm fine." Sky said.

"Me too. Just a weird dream that we ended up sharing." Nick said.

Sky felt something fall in her lap, and she saw that she had fallen asleep with her Megami-Hito book on her chest. The book had been left open at a Renaissance-style painting. "Yeah. Really weird."

"We're dealing with enough weird stuff already." Blade said. "Try to get some sleep."

Sky nodded slowly. She glanced to her book, and then tucked it under her pillow before going to sleep again.

Still, the dream replayed itself in Sky's mind the next morning. She couldn't believe the dream was random. Plus, Nick was present in her dreams without even meaning to. That had to have something to do with them being connected. For some reason, Sky kept thinking about the dream, especially the woman. At one point during the dream, the woman looked identical to Sky.

At last, Sky couldn't take it. She called Harley and Katherine.

"Hope I'm not interrupting something." Sky said into the radio.

" _Oh nothing much."_ Finn's sarcastic voice said in the background. _"Just a covert spy mission that could result in our death if we fail!"_

" _Finn, I don't normally say this, but take a chill pill."_ Harley said. _"Katherine's doing fine in there. What do you need, Sky?"_

"I was just wondering if any research you did on Megami-Hito included stuff related to the symbol on my amulet. It's also the symbol in my book." Sky said.

After a moment of thought, Harley replied, _"If I remember correctly, that symbol is for the Goddess of Psyche."_

"Goddess of Psyche?" Nick repeated. "What's that?"

" _Not 'what.' Who."_ Harley corrected. _"All the deities in the Megami-Hito religion had a certain mark. A symbol connected to who they are. Katherine found several legends revolving around these gods, goddesses, and spirits. But most of those stories are disregarded, not really considered 'true' myths because so few people believe the Megami-Hito really existed."_

"I don't care about speculation. I care about getting answers." Sky said. "Do you think you and Katherine can email over the information you have on the goddess? Maybe mail over some books or something?"

" _I'm sure I can find stuff in C.H.R.O.M.E.'s library, too."_ Harley said. _"But why? What's so important?"_

"I'm just testing a theory." Sky said. She jumped when she heard gunshots.

" _Oh dear. Kat needs backup."_ Harley sighed. _"Talk to you later!"_ The line went dead.

"Exactly what theory are you referring to?" Nick asked.

"The one I recently came up with." Sky said. "If it works like I hope it will, we may have a chance to separate."

"Really?" Nick asked hopefully.

"Don't get your hopes up too high." Sky warned. "I have no idea how this is going to work."

* * *

It took a few days, but Harley came through. To Sky's surprise, the Radiator Springs spy arrived in person with Finn, Katherine, and Leland in tow.

"What happened to your mission?" Sky asked.

"Shots fired." Harley shrugged.

"Yes, and I'm more thankful than ever to be paralyzed and numb from the waist down." Katherine said, patting her leg, which had been wrapped in a thick layer of gauze bandages.

"Jeez, why didn't you hang up when I called?" Sky gawked, taking the box Harley handed her.

"We could hardly think about the mission with your and Nick's situation." Harley said. "We were concerned, so we came to help how we could."

Sky sighed. "Fine. Let's go into the main hanger." The group journeyed there, Nick and Blade following Sky. Once inside, Sky pulled out the books and photocopies of journal entries and photos. Everyone watched her, with some fascination, as Sky quickly looked through everything Harley brought. No one wanted to break the silence, at first.

"Raven, what exactly are you looking for?" Blade asked.

"This." Sky set down the picture she held, showing an image of the same symbol stamped into her amulet and on her book. She picked up an open book. "This says the Goddess of Psyche is often associated with mental and emotional healing, and dreams."

"So?" Harley shrugged.

"So, I think that dream Nick and I had last night—and a dream I had on the way home from Basque Country—was inspired by this." She held up her book of pictures. "My theory is that the book gives me a dream based on what page I left open when I fell asleep."

"What was last night's dream about?" Katherine asked.

Sky described her dream to everyone, and how she had no control like she usually did. "When I woke up, the book was lying on my stomach, open to this page." She showed everyone the image that looked like a Renaissance painting.

"That's a painting of a town from the Renaissance Era." Leland noted. "The dream doesn't seem to connect."

"Not quite true, Leland." Finn said. "The Renaissance was an era of creation and art. I think the painting we see here is symbolic of creation, hence the dream's contents."

"I don't remember what page I was on during that last dream." Sky said. "I don't remember seeing the woman."

"What if that woman is the Goddess of Psyche?" Harley said. "And, in that first dream, you were looking through the eyes of that goddess? Maybe you're right. I think each picture in that book is symbolic of a theme that connects to a story about the Goddess of Psyche."

"Maybe…" Sky stared at the pictures in her book, listing the themes she could think of and wondering what stories the pictures told.

"How is this going to separate us?" Nick asked.

Sky tapped her lip in thought. "I don't know yet."

* * *

Sky continued reading through lunch while her friends left her to her work. Only Blade and Nick remained to help how they could. Sky had yet to tell them her thought process, even though they were dying to know where she was going with this research and her theories.

Scanning the pages, Sky eventually found something she needed to know. She read the passage to herself.

 _The deities of Megami-Hito did not have a singular home or place of convening like the gods of Olympus. Rather, each deity has a place of birth and a place of dwelling. The place of birth is often the setting of certain tales for the deities, such as coming-of-age. The place of dwelling is where a deity lives to master their specific craft._

Sky pulled over another open book. She read quietly to herself, "'According to legend, the Goddess of Psyche was born somewhere in what is now Basque Country. There is even a holy site open for visitation. However, historians and mythologists have been unsuccessful in locating her dwelling place.'"

"What was that?" Blade asked.

"New theory. Where's Windlifter?" Sky didn't wait for an answer. She darted out the door.

"Whoa, hey!" Nick yelped. "Wait for us!" The two helicopters hurried after Sky as she ran right to Windlifter as the large chopper weight-lifted logs at his hanger. She passed Harley, Katherine, and Sparky on the way, and the trio trailed after her.

"Hey Windlifter!" Sky said, standing below the copter. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask you something. Do you know any myths within your own Native American culture related to the Goddess of Psyche?"

"Yes." Windlifter answered between lifts. "The Lakota have their own Psyche Goddess, translated into a spirit who helps the Lakota connect with their ancestors and the land."

"What about an amulet?" Sky asked. "Like mine?"

"There is only one legend I know of." Windlifter said. "An ancient Lakota legend tells of how the Goddess lost her amulet of power, which allowed her to watch over her people and hear their prayers. Without it, her power is limited. The Goddess offered a wish to any and all who return the amulet to her. Coyote tricked the Goddess and claimed to have the real amulet, only to be punished by the Goddess when she discovered the truth."

"Great. That's great!" Sky said excitedly. "Thank you, Windlifter."

" _Cuervo,_ back up." Nick said. "What's so exciting about a legend?"

"That legend just gave us our answer." Sky said. "I'm going to find that missing amulet and return it to the Goddess of Psyche. I can use the wish to separate us."

"What?!" Blade and Nick yelped at once. Harley's, Katherine's, and Sparky's jaws dropped.

"Sky, are you nuts?" Sparky said, still in shock.

"Crazier things have happened, Sparky." Sky shrugged. "For example, what's happening to me and Nick right now." She and Nick switched as she spoke.

"Speaking from a spiritual point of view, this is one of the craziest things I have ever heard." Katherine said. "Skylar, you're talking about seeking out a goddess. A deity. Someone who may or may not exist, and may not want to be found."

"But if she wants her amulet back, I think she'll make an exception." Sky said.

"I'm with Raven." Blade announced unexpectedly. "Windlifter's friend said we would have to pray to the spirits, prove something to the gods. We don't have very many options left. Our only hope may be this goddess, regardless of our skepticism."

"Blade has a point." Harley sighed. "Taking a spiritual route may seem unorthodox, but it also may be the only way to separate Sky and Nick."

"I don't want either one of us to disappear." Sky said as she and Nick switched back. "If there's a chance to save us both, we ought to take it, even if it means doing something crazy."

"Agreed." Katherine and Blade nodded at once.

"I'm in." Harley said.

"Sure. I guess." Sparky said uncertainly.

"If it gets us separated, I'll do it." Nick agreed.

"We better get Finn and Leland updated." Harley said. "This is crazy, but it just might work."

"We have quite a bit of work to do." Katherine said. "Where do we start?"

Sky held up her book of pictures. "With this. The dreams will guide us."


	13. The Power of Dreamscape

**A/N: My first update of the new year! Yay! My New Year's resolution: to finish this gosh-darned story. I'm finally to the exciting parts I've been waiting to write. And I've decided that it's okay if this story doesn't turn out perfectly. It's like a first draft, and maybe I can revisit it if I really don't like it.**

 **Enjoy this chapter, guys! I'll do my best to update again soon.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen – The Power of Dreamscape**

It didn't take long for word to spread across the base regarding Sky's crazy plan. Nobody tried to stop her, though. Everyone was just too concerned about losing a friend to question an absurd plan. Most of the base stayed out of the way and did their normal jobs, with the exceptions of Windlifter (the spiritual guide along with Katherine) and Sparky (who feared for Sky's safety, even in the dream realm).

The first step, according to Sky, was to find the Goddess's dwelling place.

"In most mythologies, deities and spirits reside in temples or places connected to the natural world around us." Windlifter advised. "If your last dream took place in a cave, this goddess must live there."

Sky flipped through her book. "Let's see….which of these would work?"

"Wait, go back." Harley turned backed a few pages. The picture showed a Greek-style painting depicting a hearth. "I think that's what you need."

"A fireplace?" Nick asked.

"This is a hearth, drawn similarly to images seen on Greek vases." Harley explained. "That means it must be a symbol for the Greek goddess Hestia. She was the goddess of hearth and home. If we're trying to find the goddess's home, maybe you'll get a dream from this picture."

"Let's try it." Sky said. She pulled over a cot from the corner of the main hanger.

"I'm not so sure about this forced sleep thing you're doing, Raven." Blade said. "It can't be healthy."

"Well, we can't wait until dark." Sky said. "Every day that passes is a day closer to Nick or me disappearing. This forced sleep will make me dream faster, and then I can wake up and we can talk." Sky lay on the cot, placing the book on her chest with the page still open to the hearth image. "Do your thing, Harley."

"Don't rush me, Sky. You need to relax." Harley said, kneeling by Sky's head. "This is supposed to be a calming technique for injury patients going into shock. Now hold still. Breathe evenly." She put her hands to the sides of Sky's head, focusing her energy.

Sky took a few deep breaths, shutting her eyes. She felt so calm and loose. After several minutes, she drifted off to deep sleep.

* * *

" _Guess we're sharing a dream again." Nick noted as he and Sky shared a look._

" _Yep. Maybe that's for the best." Sky said. They switched again. "Okay, where are we?"_

 _Looking around, Sky and Nick found a forest around them. A lake rested to one side. On the other side of the lake, tall hills with plenty more trees. "Not a lot of identifying features here." Nick noted._

" _Look!" Sky gasped, pointing to the lake. She and Nick saw the same woman from their last dream. She dressed the same, and her skin and hair color changed every time Sky and Nick blinked._

" _Who are you?" Nick asked. "Can you hear us?" The woman didn't answer. "Guess not."_

" _That has to be the Goddess of Psyche." Sky said. "It makes sense."_

" _I just wish we could actually talk to her." Nick said. "But I guess we should just watch, for now. See where she leads us."_

 _They did watch. The Goddess stood at the edge of the lake for a long moment, and then turned to the trees and began walking. But instead of walking past and between the trees, she disappeared right into one._

" _That must be where she lives!" Sky gasped. "Come on!" She ran right towards the tree as she and Nick switched again. But instead of going into the tree, Sky ran right into it._

 _Nick flinched. "You okay?"_

" _Yeah…" Sky grumbled. "I don't feel pain, but it's not exactly pleasant to run into a tree."_

" _We can't follow the Goddess." Nick sighed. "Now what?"_

" _We wake up." Sky said._

" _How do we do that?" Nick asked._

 _Sky snapped her fingers._

* * *

Sky opened her eyes, and Nick materialized next to her. "Well, that wasn't very pleasant." Nick blinked several times.

"What did you see?" Harley asked. Sky described her dream.

"That's not very helpful." Katherine sighed. "A forest with a lake? That could be anywhere."

"I wonder if Nathan would know anything about this." Sparky said. "He's got to have some idea about this kind of thing."

"He should be our next stop after we find that amulet." Blade said. "Maybe we need to focus on that part of the plan first."

"Okay. So, according to the legend, the amulet was lost." Sky murmured, studying her book again.

"Or it could've been stolen." Katherine noted.

"We don't even know what the amulet looks like." Nick said. "How are we going to find it?"

"I'm wondering which picture is supposed to relate to the darned thing." Sky said, still flipping from one page to another. "None of these look right." She stopped at a picture of a magpie. "What the heck is this supposed to be for?"

"It looks like it's drawn like a Native American-style tapestry." Harley said.

"That may be your answer." Windlifter said. "Magpies are thieves."

"Thieves?" Sky repeated.

"Right. The magpie is a motif for thievery in several cultures." Katherine said.

"Try that page." Blade urged. Sky lay back down on the cot, and Harley forced her into sleep again.

* * *

 _This time, they were back in the Goddess's cave home. The Goddess removed something from her neck and placed it in a wooden box, which she set on the bookshelf against the wall. The cave had more furniture than the last dream showed. A later time, perhaps?_

" _Let's check the box. I'll bet that's where the amulet is!" Sky urged once the Goddess left. She hurried to the box. But she blinked, and suddenly there was someone in front of her. "What the—"_

" _Where did he come from?" Nick asked, seeing how the man popped up out of nowhere. The man had no identifying features from the back. He dressed in a black cloak and had brown hair. The man grabbed the box off the shelf._

 _Suddenly, Nick and Sky woke up._

* * *

Sky gasped and bolted upright, startling Harley. "Geez, Sky!" Harley put a hand to her racing heart. "You fell asleep like two minutes ago!"

"The dream was different. Disjointed." Sky said. "But we saw someone taking a box that must've had the amulet."

"You didn't see anything else?" Blade asked.

"No." Sky said. "Let's try again."

"Maybe we shouldn't." Harley said. "Too much napping and it'll ruin your sleep tonight. I don't think this is healthy for you mentally."

"The worst part is, we only get a partial story." Sparky said. "You need to be able to follow that thief wherever he goes."

"Which you can't do if you don't have control of the dream." Blade added.

Katherine snapped her fingers. "Of course! Sky, you have the power of dreamscape. Now that you have a feel for these dreams, you can learn how to control it and discover more about them."

"Sounds like a plan!" Sky agreed.

"Slight problem with that." Harley said. "Somehow, you two still switch in dreamland. If you're going to control these dreams, Nick needs to be able to use those powers too."

"But I don't have the power of dreamscape." Nick protested.

"You have Sky's powers when you're in control of her body." Katherine reminded him. "You just haven't harnessed them yet."

"Let's be thankful you don't have to worry about controlling that pyrokinesis." Blade said. "But Katherine's right. You need to be able to control the dream should you two switch in the middle of the night."

"Tonight, when you go to sleep, I want you to use that time to practice in dreamland." Harley ordered Nick and Sky.

"But aren't we cutting it close on time?" Sky asked anxiously.

"Yes." Harley said bluntly. "So you better practice hard."

* * *

 _Despite their anxiousness, Sky and Nick did what they were told that night. Once they entered the dreamland, Sky began her instruction._

" _Dreamland isn't like the real world." Sky said. "You can only rely on what you see and hear. There's nothing to smell or taste. There's nothing to feel, either: no pain, no temperature, not even the dirt under your bare feet."_

 _Nick looked down and saw Sky was barefoot, though he could've sworn she had her shoes on just a minute ago. "Okay. Sights and sounds. Got it."_

" _Now, the reason dreams can get out of control is because of our imagination." Sky said. "It's a powerful thing, and sometimes it can run away with us."_

 _Suddenly, the forest around them burst into flames as though they were sitting in a wildfire. Nick jumped, his eyes wide with fear._

" _Our natural instinct is to fear things that are dangerous." Sky said. The flames began to retreat and disappear, bringing back the lush scenery of the forest. "If you're going to control the dream, you have to control your imagination."_

" _How do you do this?" Nick breathed._

" _Like I said: control your imagination." Sky said. "It's not easy, I know. You imagine what you want to happen, but then you have to be aware of it. Let it loose, and it'll go wild. So go ahead. What do you want to happen right now?"_

 _They had switched by then. In the dream world, they could only tell because the person in control of Sky's body didn't have a blue glow around them. Nick thought for a moment. "Could I turn that bush over there into a giant cake?"_

Pop! _The bush nearby did indeed turn into a huge birthday cake._

" _Cool!" Nick said. He yelped when the scenery changed abruptly, and the forest turned into a land of cakes and sweets._

 _Sky lifted a foot, grimacing at the pink frosting stuck to her skin. "You lost control."_

" _But I just wanted the one bush to turn into a cake!" Nick protested._

" _And you just let it happen. Then your imagination went crazy and turned the dream into this." Sky said. "Once you start to manipulate and change the dream, you have to control it or it will control you. The dream will react to your emotions."_

" _You have a lot of experience with this, huh?" Nick asked._

" _Yes." Sky nodded. "I will admit that dream manipulation is ten times better than therapy or counseling."_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Once I got the hang of changing the dreams, especially the dreams of Blade and my dad, I started changing my own nightmares about my past. At first, I would make it so that my parents never abandoned me. But that didn't help me feel better. Instead, I made their leaving seem like a great thing. I took the nightmares of the bad moments in my life and used my dream changing to cope with them."_

 _Nick smiled, awed. "That's pretty cool."_

" _There are some things we can't change in our lives. The power of dreamscape is my saving grace." Sky said. "In here, I can change my fate, change my own mind." She shook her head. "Try something else."_

 _Nick concentrated. He focused solely on the one thing he wanted to happen. The dreamland changed to show the backyard of Rosa's foster house. A young Sky sat all alone in the backyard, playing with a soccer ball. Nick continued to focus, biting his tongue in concentration. A child version of Nick hopped over to Sky, nudging her foot. The child Sky looked up to him in surprise, and then rolled the soccer ball to him. The child Nick rolled it back. The two children began to play together, laughing._

 _Sky and Nick switched control again, and Sky grinned at Nick. The helicopter had a faux innocent look on his face. Sky changed the dream to show her and Nick as adults, fighting fires in Piston Peak._

 _Nick's smile grew. He still felt remnants of the sensation of all the power Sky had._ I think I'm finally understanding you, _Cuervo._

* * *

The dream ended abruptly as Sky jolted awake courtesy of Maru blasting music over Patch's loudspeakers. Blade was already gone, most likely spot fire scouting.

"Thanks a lot, Maru." Nick grumbled.

"Well, do you have an understanding of dreamscape power?" Sky asked as she changed into her jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers.

"I think so." Nick nodded, following Sky out the door.

"Great." Sky tied her hair back with a bandana. "Let's find Harley, and she can make me sleep again so we can learn more about the dreams the book gives us."

"I don't think we can force it." Nick said. "The length of a nap is not going to cut it."

"But we need to find answers soon." Sky protested.

"And we won't be able to do that if our dream is interrupted by you waking up." Nick said. "You need to be in a deep sleep for a few hours, not a few minutes."

"Nick, we are wasting time by waiting." Sky said. "Our switching is becoming more frequent and lasting longer. One of us is going to disappear if we don't hurry."

"Well, we already know which one of us will." Nick muttered.

"What do you mean?" Sky demanded.

"Let's get real, Sky." Nick snapped. "I've been dead a long time. Maybe my spirit should've moved on ages ago. I'm going to be the one who disappears, not you."

"Neither one of us is going to disappear." Sky said.

"I'm preparing for the worst-case scenario." Nick said. "I've already talked to Harley to see if she can erase Blade's memories of me."

"Why would you do that?" Sky gawked.

"Because I don't want him to suffer anymore!" Nick growled. "And you know what? Harley thinks that, if she can suppress pain, she can suppress memories, too."

"Erasing Blade's memories of you won't solve this problem." Sky said.

"And if we don't do this safely, one of us could get hurt, Sky." Nick said. "Think about that." He turned and flew off, apparently ending the conversation. Sky growled and grumbled to herself on her way to the kitchen for breakfast.

Neither one of them realized Blade had returned from scouting, and hid behind the hanger when he heard them exit. As he watched them separate to cool off, Blade sighed. No matter what he did, he couldn't shake his feeling of unease and fear. It was starting to hinder him in his work, which only frustrated him more.

"You needn't worry, Chief Ranger."

Blade jumped a little and turned as Finn approached. The Aston Martin wore a gentle smile. "Harley and Katherine are working overtime to help how they can. Your friend and Miss Riley will be fine."

"Wish I had that same confidence." Blade said. "I don't want to lose either one of them. They mean too much to me."

"I understand." Finn said. "Losing Leland hurt, and I was overjoyed to have his spirit rejoin us. If I lost him a second time, I don't think I could take it."

Blade watched Sky disappear into the kitchen. "Do you think Sky's plan will work? Are we going in the right direction to find a solution?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Finn said. "But I think we should have faith in her."

"That's a bit surprising, coming out of you." Blade mused.

"Yes, yes, I know." Finn nodded. "A decade ago, I would have never considered something like this. But since I met Harley, and after going on so many adventures with her, I've learned to accept and take chances with things I once believed to be entirely unorthodox. Such is the life when you're connected to a psyche human."

Blade nodded in agreement. "I don't remember ever interacting with a psyche human before I met Sky. Now I have one for a Partner."

"Trust in her, Chief Ranger." Finn advised. "Never lose hope. That's one thing I learned from Leland about being a spy. You can't give up, even when the odds are stacked against you."

* * *

 _When night finally fell and Sky settled into a deep sleep, she and Nick returned to the dream inspired by the magpie picture. Again, they didn't see the amulet, but they saw the Goddess put something in the box and place it on the shelf. They waited, and the man appeared again when the Goddess left. As the man slipped away towards the exit, darkness began to creep into the scene._

 _Sky held up her hands, and the darkness froze. "This is where the dream ends. But we're going to follow that guy."_

" _Well, you're in control." Nick said. "Lead the way."_

 _Sky focused all her power. This was different from her usual dream manipulations. It was almost like time travel. Sky and Nick seemed to levitate, and they followed the thief as he escaped out of the cave. The thief pauses only when a mighty storm appears out of nowhere. The Goddess must've discovered the robbery. The thief hurried away, escaping onto a covered cart. The cart rolled away, taking the thief with it._

" _What do you think he wants with the amulet?" Nick asked. "Didn't Windlifter say that it was just for watching over the psyche humans?"_

" _Maybe this is an enemy of the Goddess." Sky said. They continued to follow the thief, but it was a boring trip._

" _Are we just watching this all in real time?" Nick yawned._

" _I guess so." Sky said. "Maybe we can speed this up a little."_

 _Suddenly, it was like they were flying as the scene sped up like fast-forwarding in a movie. They watched the thief escape to what they believed to be his hometown, and the thief hid the box with the amulet in a safe place. Then the thief relaxed in a chair. Nothing else really happened._

" _What? He doesn't use the darned thing?" Nick gaped._

" _He's just laughing at the Goddess while she searches for it." Sky huffed. "What a jerk." Sky gasped, startling Nick. The scene resumed its normal pace, and darkness came in again. "Nick! Take control!"_

" _Uh, right!" Nick focused. "How do I….uh….."_

" _Nick!" Sky urged._

" _I got it!" Nick bit his tongue in concentration. A TV remote popped into existence, and Nick pressed the PAUSE button. The scene froze._

" _Huh. Nice thinking." Sky said. "Good job."_

" _No problem!" Nick said. "I think I got this. We're just a couple kids watching a movie. And since our thieving friend isn't doing much, why don't we skip ahead a few chapters?" Nick clicked the button that said SKIP AHEAD. The scene changed. The thief was still in his chair, but he looked older. Nick clicked the button a few more times. Sky found a bag of popcorn in her lap, and she started munching while Nick continued to skip ahead._

" _This guy really didn't do much in his life, huh?" Sky noted._

" _Not really." Nick sighed. "This guy's really getting up there in age. He looks like he's retiring." Nick glanced out the window. "Those kind of look like the hills of California where Blade grew up."_

" _Interesting." Sky mused._

 _Nick eyed the thief. He was riddled with wrinkles and his hair had turned grey. The thief was an old man now, but he still kept the amulet hidden well. Nick saw the amulet box up on the bookshelf. Then, when Nick skipped to the next chapter, he jumped when he saw the drastic change. A woman stood at the now-busted door, and the thief cowered on the floor._

" _Isn't that Skylar Saysheen? The owner of that Megami-Hito shop in California?" Sky gasped._

" _Hang on, let me rewind." Nick turned back the scene. When he pressed PLAY, the door burst open and Skylar Saysheen entered the house. The thief jumped from his chair, screaming in terror. Nick laughed at the funny sight, and he rewound the scene to watch it again. He replayed the funny scene several times._

" _Nick." Sky said with a deadpan expression. "Time works differently in dreamland, but we are short on it nonetheless."_

 _Nick cleared his throat. "Right." He rewound the scene one last time and played it._

 _The thief scrambled backwards until his back hit the wall. "S-S-S-Seishin."_

" _Seishin?" Sky murmured._

 _Skylar Seishin changed her form, and Sky and Nick realized it was the Goddess. The deity marched into the room, leaving footprints burned into the floor as she walked. Snowflakes swirled around her. She went to the bookshelf and grabbed the wooden box on the higher shelf. She opened it, and her eyes began to glow in her anger. She threw the box, and it shattered against the wall. The amulet was gone._

" _WHERE IS IT?!" Seishin roared at the thief._

" _I'll not tell!" the thief said bravely, though he still shook. "I and my descendants shall all live a hundred years as long as that amulet is out of your hands! I was promised this by Hades himself!"_

" _That lousy god of death has pulled you into a dangerous situation." Seishin growled. "You should not have given in to your own and his greed." She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him up so that his toes didn't even brush the ground. Sky never realized the Goddess was so tall. Seishin's eyes glowed like little fires. "I cannot kill you, or I may never find my amulet. But know this: I will never stop hunting until I get that amulet. I curse you to live a life of suffering. You and your descendants may live for a century, but you will not have happy lives. This curse will only be lifted once the amulet is returned to me."_

 _The Goddess dropped the thief, and she spirited away like a bitter, cold wind. The thief stared at the spot she once occupied, terrified._

" _That's it? What happened next?" Sky asked. Nick pressed the fast-forward button, and the scene showed the thief pulling apart a dresser and taking a pendant glued to the inside of the furniture. The thief took the amulet out into the forest near his home. The desperate thief found a patch of dirt and dug a deep hole. He tossed the amulet into the hole, put a pinecone or two on top, and then buried it. Nodding and muttering feverishly to himself, the thief looked around for any sign of the Goddess and then ran off. Sky and Nick switched again, and Sky made them stay in the forest._

" _So the Goddess must still be searching." Nick said. "She couldn't have known that he buried it."_

 _Sky moved the scene forward again. Based on how much time passed, the Goddess truly did not know where to find the amulet. "That rotten little jerk."_

" _But at least we know what happened to the amulet." Nick said. "Now where is it?"_

" _I'll fast-forward, and we'll find out." Sky moved the scene forward. "Tell me when you recognize something."_

 _Time passed rapidly around them. In less than a minute, a tree grew where the amulet was buried. After a while, Nick made a funny, loud sound that alarmed Sky. "There!" Nick gestured to one side, where a blue building stood._

" _What is that?" Sky asked._

" _That's a camping store. It's also where Maru gets his firewood." Nick said. His and Sky's widened. "No way…"_

 _Sky sped the scene by again. She and Nick watched as the tree grew for a few more days, became struck by lightning, was chopped down, turned to firewood, and shipped off to Maru at Piston Peak Air Attack._

* * *

Sky and Nick woke with a shock. Sky bolted upright, gasping deeply. Thankfully, she didn't wake up Blade in the process.

Nick blinked several times. "You have got to be kidding me."

Sky stuck her hand under her pillow and pulled out the amulet Nick gifted her. "This isn't a replica. This is the Goddess of Psyche's amulet!"


	14. The Psych-Man Town

**Chapter Fourteen – The Psych-Man Town**

When morning came, Sky and Nick gathered everyone around to describe what they found. Despite everything that happened recently, jaws dropped in shock.

"You gave Skylar an amulet that belonged to a goddess?" Katherine snapped at Nick.

"I didn't know!" Nick said.

"What are the odds?" Sparky breathed.

"Odds or Fate, who cares?" Sky said. "We have the amulet. Now we just have to find the Goddess of Psyche. We can go to her now and get the wish."

"But your dream about a dwelling place didn't lead to anything specific." Harley reminded her.

"It was a lake with trees and hills around it." Sky said. "That can't be that many places, right?"

"Sky, that could literally be anywhere in the world." Harley said. "Do you remember anything else about the forest? Anything that could lead us to a definite location?"

Sky thought back to her dream. "I don't know. The hills across the lake had a little snow on them. The trees were pines and evergreens. There wasn't anything else."

"What about that little fairy house?" Nick asked.

"Fairy house?" Blade repeated, confused.

"What fairy house?" Sky asked.

"The one sitting under the tree where the Goddess disappeared." Nick said. "It looked like one of those homemade fairy houses you put in your backyard. It had a thatch roof and was painted pink."

"That may help us find the specific tree, but it doesn't tell us where to go." Sky said.

"Raven, I think this is the time to go see Nathan and talk to him." Blade said.

"I agree." Sky nodded. "His tribe is on the edge of the Tahoe National Forest. I'll give him a call and then pack a bag."

"Harley, Katherine, Leland, and I will go with you." Finn offered. "You'll need Harley's healing and Katherine's spirit-speaking on your side."

"And they never travel without us." Leland chuckled.

"I'll come too!" Sparky said. "Just to keep an eye on you."

"I'm coming, too." Blade decided.

"But, Blade, don't you have a job to do here?" Sky asked.

"My focus has been leaning towards you and Nick so often that I can't do my job." Blade said. "Maru already forced me into what he calls 'mental health leave.' Right now, my job is to make sure you and Nick will be all right."

"The sooner we get to Nathan, the better." Nick added.

"Then we better start packing." Harley suggested.

* * *

Siddeley flew Harley, Finn, Katherine, Leland, and Sparky to the airport closest to the Tahoe National Forest. Blade carried Sky in his hoist hatch, and Nick stuck close by. They flew over the forest, Blade eyeing his GPS as they neared the coordinates Nathan gave them. Once they landed, the rest of their traveling party would hopefully arrive soon after them. Nick and Sky switched a couple times on the way, but Nick flew close enough to Blade that Sky could hold onto him if she couldn't fly while in spirit form.

"Hey Sky." Blade said over the radio. "Does that look familiar to you?" Sky and Nick looked down, and they got a good look at Lake Tahoe and the forest and hills surrounding it. The scene was just too familiar. Flying a bit farther, they came upon a tiny town sitting right on the edge of the forest. A group of cars parked a safe distance from the town honked their horns and flashed their lights to direct Blade to a safe landing spot. With all the commotion, the townsfolk took notice of newcomers, and they headed for the landing site.

The second Blade touched down, Sky hopped out of the hoist hatch. Nick disappeared, and he and Sky prayed they wouldn't switch in front of all these people. Sky still hadn't mastered how to turn invisible while in spirit form. Nathan elbowed his way to the front of the crowd, picking up Sky in a tight hug.

"I was so thrilled to hear you wanted to come visit." Nathan said. "Everyone is excited to meet you."

"I can tell." Sky laughed, looking out to the psyche humans and vehicles who gathered around and murmured enthusiastically.

"Welcome to my homeland, Sky." Nathan said. "And, of course, it's good to see at least one of your Soul Connect Partners."

"Good to see you too, Nathan." Blade greeted.

"Come. Let's get you settled in while we wait for your friends." Nathan guided Sky and Blade into the town. The townsfolk greeted Sky on their way back to their business.

"You're going to love it here!" a teenage boy said. "We're totally in the middle of nowhere. We're like Amish, but with technology!" He waved his cell phone around to emphasize his point.

One of the boy's friends shoved him playfully. "We are not like the Amish. I'm pretty sure that's offensive."

"All right, boys. Run along." Nathan encouraged, and the boys laughed as they ran off. "We really aren't as off-the-grid as you think. Our children go to the schools in the area, we have internet access, and all the modern comforts. We're just a whole community of psych-mans and their Partners."

"It's so cool." Sky breathed. She let Nathan guide her as her head swiveled around the look at everything. Almost every building was a log cabin of some kind. There was a small library, and a mess hall for community events. The town backed up against the forest, and there were signs pointing out trails. The psych-mans and vehicles interacted as normal communities do. But at least half of the psych-mans were practicing their powers and doing things to enhance their connection with their Partners. The tribe had a couple hundred members, give or take a few. It amazed Sky to see so many people with strong powers like hers.

"Is anyone here _not_ a psych-man?" Blade asked.

"Only one or two." Nathan said. "We are simply a small community slowly getting bigger, keeping old traditions alive. One of those traditions is that, normally, only psych-mans live in the tribe."

"But could a non-psych-man live here if they wanted to?" Sky asked.

"I don't know why they _would_ want to." Nathan said. "Our mission is to help psych-mans understand the full extent of their powers. Now, that's not to say psych-mans don't marry non-psych-mans; but, based on what I've seen, psych-mans are sort of attracted to one another."

Sky nodded slowly in understanding. She wished she could've lived here when she was a child. It might've saved her a lot of heartache.

Nathan led them to his home, and they sat in the living room so Nick could appear. Sky and Nick explained their dilemma, and got about halfway through their story when Harley, Finn, Katherine, Leland, and Sparky arrived. Nathan listened silently, save for a question or two. Nick and Sky even switched in the middle of Sky talking.

"The Goddess of Psyche? A deity of the Megami-Hito people." Nathan mused.

"The dreams told us that this is the amulet of the Goddess." Sky said, holding up the amulet. "It can't be a coincidence."

"No, I agree." Nathan said. "Believe it or not, there are still several amongst us who still worship these spirits. But finding the dwelling place of such a deity…that's a tough issue."

"Is there anything that would point us in the right direction?" Harley asked. "A symbol to look for?"

"I'm not sure." Nathan said. "Though, one would think that a deity would want their dwelling place hard to find so to decrease their chances of being found."

"What if we just went out into the woods and held the amulet out like bait?" Leland suggested. "The Goddess could come to us."

"If the legend is true, Leland, then she won't be able to see us without that amulet." Finn said. "Also, I'm not sure a goddess will appreciate being teased."

"Good point." Leland nodded.

"I wish I could be of more help." Nathan said.

"That's okay, Grandpa." Sky sighed. "It was worth a shot."

Nick noticed something behind Nathan, and he floated over to the desk pushed up against the wall. "Nathan, what's this?"

Nathan turned to see Nick nodding to the half-painted, thatch-roof, tiny house on his desk. "That? It's just a fairy house."

"A fairy house?" Sparky asked in confusion.

"Yes. We may be a modern tribe, but we do hold the old ways close." Nathan explained. "Many believe that spirits and fairies frolic in the forest. We build them fairy houses that act like rest stops."

" _Cuervo,_ that's the same little house I saw in that dream! The one where the Goddess went into that tree!" Nick said.

"You're sure?" Sky asked.

"Positive." Nick nodded. "We need to get out into the forest! We'll find the Goddess no problem!"

"Maybe." Katherine nodded slowly. "But if that's the house you saw in the dream, then it can't be the house leading to the Goddess's dwelling place."

"Let's split up." Finn suggested. "Some of us can do research here and others can search the forest."

"Finn and I can stay here and take advantage of the Wi-Fi." Katherine suggested.

"I'll stay, too." Sparky said. "I don't hike very well anymore."

"Then Nick, Blade, and I will go into the forest." Sky said.

"Leland and I will go with you." Harley offered. "To cover more ground."

"Great idea." Leland nodded.

* * *

Blade took to the skies while Harley, Sky, and the ghosts of the group hiked up the trails. They checked every tree they passed as they went deeper and deeper into the forest. Blade scanned the trees part of the time while keeping an eye on Sky for most of the flight. He also kept a sharp eye out for any wild creatures nearby. He wasn't familiar with this area, but he knew what kinds of animals lived in the forest.

"Found another fairy house." Harley announced, looking over the tree the house rested in.

"That's, what, our seventh one?" Sky asked.

"Eighth." Leland corrected.

"I counted nine." Nick said.

"I lost count." Harley sighed. "I got nothing."

Sky groaned, leaning her head back. "We've been out here for three hours. How are we going to find the Goddess at this rate?"

"Are we just going to search every tree until we find her?" Leland asked.

"Well, that doesn't sound _too_ crazy." Harley shrugged.

Sky raised an eyebrow at her. "Really?"

"You're actually agreeing with such an irrational idea?" Leland gawked a little. "That's not like you."

"We're dealing with an irrational situation. I see no reason we can't try an irrational idea." Harley said.

Sky hummed in thought. Harley was no stranger to crazy, eccentric ideas, but she never did anything as irrational as searching every tree in a forest. She would think of something more creative, something that made at least a little sense. Harley avoided Sky's questioning look, further arousing Sky's suspicion.

"Nick, Leland, why don't you guys go search the treetops for any sign of the Goddess?" Sky suggested.

"What do you think we're going to find up there?" Nick asked.

Leland understood Sky's pointed look. "Come on, Lopez. Let's go."

"But—hey!" Nick yelped when Leland shoved him upwards, and the two ghosts disappeared out of hearing range.

"All right, Hudson, start talking." Sky said.

"What do you mean?" Harley asked with a forced chuckle.

"You could've stayed back in town to help with the research, but you came out here instead." Sky said.

"I thought we could cover more ground."

"Then why have you stuck by me like we're glued at the hip?"

"So I don't get lost."

"You grew up in a desert and learned practically the whole area like the back of your hand."

"Deserts are different from forests."

Sky put a hand on Harley's shoulder and turned her around. "Harley, come on. We're friends, aren't we?"

Harley stared at Sky, and then sighed. "It's going to sound dumb, and very selfish, but I wanted to be with you so I could find the Goddess too. I want some credit for returning the amulet, so that I can have a wish, too."

"Really?" Sky was confused rather than angry. "What are you going to wish for?"

Harley looked skyward, towards Leland and Nick who still couldn't hear them. "I want to wish for Leland to come back to life, so Finn can be happy again." She fiddled with one of the blue streaks in her hair. "Don't get me wrong. It's great to have Leland around in spirit. But there are times when I see that Finn forgets Leland is dead. I just thought that, if I could bring Leland back for real, maybe Finn wouldn't be so somber when he talks to his old friend."

Sky smiled. "Hey, that doesn't sound selfish at all."

"You sure?" Harley asked. "You were the one who found the amulet. You did all that dream work."

"And you helped me with the research." Sky said. "I couldn't have done all that on my own. Harley, you don't sound selfish at all."

"You sure?" Harley asked.

"You want to use the wish for Leland, not for yourself." Sky said. "That's what I hope to do for Nick, too. If I can, I don't want to just separate our spirits from my body. I want to give Nick another chance at life. He deserves that. He died too young. I would be happy to share the credit of returning the amulet, Harley. You and even Katherine deserve credit for it. We all chipped in to find the amulet. If we could all get credit, that would be awesome."

Harley smiled. "Thanks, Sky. We should keep looking. Maybe we'll have better luck when we get closer to the lake."

* * *

Finn, Katherine, and Sparky joined Nathan at the library to do their research. The library was small, but it had the strongest internet signal and even had a small collection of books related to the Megami-Hito.

"What a fascinating culture." Finn said as he read.

"Yes, I've always found these people interesting." Nathan agreed. "So in touch with the natural world. They had deities and spirits for just about everything: travelers, psych-mans, bakers, children, you name it."

"Do they have a spirit for clowns?" Sparky joked.

Nathan flipped through the book he held. "Yes. Jokey, the blue-skinned god of tricksters."

Katherine giggled. "What are the odds? Sparky, why don't you help me get a few more books on mythology?" She and Sparky wheeled themselves deeper into the library. They found the mythology section, and Sparky helped Katherine gather some books.

"You think we'll find this dwelling place?" Sparky asked.

"I do worry about that." Katherine said. "Not just about finding it, but about getting in. I wonder if there is a way to summon the Goddess instead of searching for her."

"That _would_ make things easier for us." Sparky said. "One would think she'd be desperate to have that thing back. Maybe we should take Leland's advice and go out into the forest with that thing. 'Here it is, Goddess of Psyche! Come and get it!'"

"And what if she takes it the wrong way and strikes us with a lightning bolt?" Katherine asked as they turned to leave. "I've seen ghosts get pretty ticked when someone teases them and thinks nothing will happen." She yelped when someone came around the corner and bumped into her wheelchair. "Oh, excuse me."

"Watch it, you bloody negro!" the person who ran into her growled, marching past Katherine.

Katherine stared after him, appalled and insulted. " _Excuse_ me?"

"Geez, that was incredibly rude. Not to mention racist." Sparky muttered, glaring at the young man. The Caucasian man looked only a few years older than Sky, and had brown hair and hard blue eyes. He dressed in ratty jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt.

"I don't encounter such insults very often, but they do not bother me." Katherine assured. "Though, I must admit I am surprised by the hostility. We've been in this town for less than a day, but everyone has been so welcoming except him."

"It does seem a bit unusual, based on first expressions." Sparky said on their way back to Nathan and Finn.

"What was with the commotion?" Nathan asked. "I heard some books fall."

"Just ran into that gentleman at the checkout counter." Katherine said. Nathan and Finn glanced to the counter.

"Oh, that's Simon." Nathan said. "A very…well, rather irritable young man."

"He was racist to Katherine. Very rude." Sparky said.

Finn glared at Simon. The psych-man glared back on his way out the door. "Do I need to punish him accordingly?"

"Keep the AK-47s stowed, McMissile." Katherine said. "It's fine. But it seems strange for someone to be so hostile in this place."

"Simon is a strange character. Had a lot of bad luck in his life." Nathan explained. "It's made him very bitter." Silence came over the table as they kept reading. Several minutes later, Nathan shut his book. "You know, one of my closest friends practices wicca. Maybe she can help."

"Why don't you and Finn go check it out?" Katherine suggested. "Sparky and I will clean up."

"We'll discuss our findings at dinner." Finn said as he and Nathan left. Sparky and Katherine gathered up their books and took them up to the front counter. The librarian kindly instructed them to just leave the books on the counter, and she would take care of it. Then Katherine surprised Sparky by leading him towards the back of the library.

"What are we doing back here?" Sparky asked.

"I need to call Harley." Katherine said. "I thought I recognized that Simon fellow, but I did not remember until just a minute ago. I saw him when we came in. He was glaring at us. In fact, I saw him when Sky, Harley, and the others were heading for the forest. He glared at them, looked like he hated them already. He's been giving me a bad feeling ever since we arrived."

"You know, we're kind of way out in the middle of nowhere." Sparky noted. "Why are you calling Harley on your cell?"

"Because we don't want to advertise the fact that we're spies. I can explain my sleek-design wheelchair, but I can't explain a hi-tech watch that lets me make calls, even in low cell service." Katherine punched a number into her phone, and she put it to her ear. After a few rings, the call went to voicemail. "Figures. She probably doesn't have service out in the forest. Hey Harley, it's Katherine. We need to talk about someone who's making me suspicious. Then again, maybe you won't get this message until you get back into town. This guy Nathan called Simon has been hostile since we came, and it's making me nervous. I'm going to try a different way to call you. Hang on." Katherine hung up.

"I thought you didn't want people to know about the…..." Sparky looked around, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Spy gear."

"Luckily, my wheelchair-com is synced with my earpiece." Katherine slid back a panel on the armrest of her wheelchair, pressed a few buttons, and then she pressed a button on her earpiece. She put her phone over her earpiece to imitate a cell call. "Roller Girl to Desert Flower. Come in, Desert Flower."

"Desert Flower?" Sparky laughed.

"Code names. They're fun." Katherine shrugged. "Harley, come in."

" _Katherine?"_ Harley's response came through the static.

"Harley, if possible, I need a background check on someone." Katherine said. "All I got is his first name, though."

" _What?"_ Harley's voice was fragmented. _"Can't—you—what name?"_

"Harley, do you read me?" Katherine asked.

" _Low signal."_ Harley managed to get out. _"Trouble? Find—dwelling place—more time. Need us—back?"_

Once Katherine could properly deduce what Harley said, she figured out that Harley and the others still hadn't found the Goddess's dwelling place, and Harley wanted to know if they should start heading back.

"No. Stay out there and keep searching for the Goddess." Katherine said. "Repeat: search for the Goddess." She hung up, realizing the call was almost useless. "Well that didn't help."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Sparky said. "Come on. Let's go ask around the town. If you really want to, we can ask about Simon."

"Yes, we should go." Katherine turned her chair to start rolling down the shelves.

Suddenly, the lights switched off. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, so they weren't completely in the dark.

"Huh. Guess the lightbulbs are dead." Sparky said.

Katherine looked around. "The lightbulbs of the entire hallway?" She asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. Sparky shrugged sheepishly. "Let's just go."

Then, they heard footsteps, and they froze. "What was that?" Sparky whispered.

"Let's get out of here, Sparky." Katherine urged. She and Sparky turned to leave.

Before they could, they felt someone's hands on them, and something made their bodies go rigid. Darkness consumed them, and they fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Anything?" Sky called up the tree.

Nick flew down to her just in time for them to switch. "Didn't see anything."

Leland came down from circling the tree. "Nothing."

Harley sighed. "Well, let's keep going, then." They continued their hike. After walking the trails all afternoon, they decided to go off the beaten path and search the trees farther ahead. Harley kept a close eye on her compass and map so they would be able to get back to town. Every now and then, they'd see Blade fly overhead.

"This switching is getting more frequent." Nick said worriedly as he and Sky switched back.

"It's erratic." Harley observed. "We'll have to be careful when we're back in town."

"I don't think even a town of psych-mans will understand this." Sky said.

"To be honest, I don't fully understand this." Leland said. "But someone remind me to never possess anybody."

"Yeah, it's not nearly as fun as you think." Nick muttered.

"Hey guys! Come over this way!" Sky's voice called from deeper in the forest. When she had wandered off, no one knew. But they followed her voice until they reached the edge of the forest and a tiny, rocky beach on the lake.

"Wow. It's beautiful." Harley breathed.

"This is the same scene from my dream." Sky said. "But I don't see anything that looks like the tree where the Goddess left."

"That tree looks like every other tree in this forest." Nick said. "There's nothing here to lead us to the Goddess of Psyche."

"Well I'm not giving up!" Sky began patting the trees near the lake.

"Sky, stop it." Harley said. "We need to think rationally."

"Good luck with that." Sky said. She pulled off the amulet and held it up. "Hey Goddess! Over here! You want it? Here it is! Come and get it!"

Leland backed up. "Shall we prepare for her to get struck by lightning?"

Sky stared at the trees. She looked skyward. _Please. I'll do anything. Just help us._

" _Raven?"_ Blade's voice over Sky's radio startled her. _"It's getting late. We need to head back to town. We'll search more tomorrow, I promise."_

Sky sighed heavily. "Copy that." She glanced out to the lake. _We'll search tomorrow…if Nick and I are both still around to._


	15. Simon's Ancestor

**Chapter Fifteen – Simon's Ancestor**

The sun touched the horizon by the time Sky, Harley, Blade, Nick, and Leland arrived back at the town. Nathan waited for them, looking a little anxious.

"About time you got back." Nathan said, leading them to the mess hall. "We're having a community dinner to celebrate your arrival. It's almost time for roll call, too."

"Roll call?" Sky asked. "What for?"

"Must make sure everyone is accounted for." Nathan said. "No one is allowed to be in the forest at night. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Harley asked. "How so?"

"Well, the superstitious folks around here will claim that sprites and imps come out at night to drag you into getting lost." Nathan said. "The old folktales depict the forest as a place of spirits. But there are also many other dangers: steep and hidden cliffs, wild animals, and the like."

"So everyone just stays in town after sunset?" Blade asked.

"Nobody is to be out in the forest unless permitted by the chief aka me." Nathan said. They arrived at the mess hall to see the entire town already there. "Go get some food and find a seat. I'll join you momentarily."

Sky led the way, waving to the townsfolk as they greeted her merrily. It seemed everyone knew about Nathan's granddaughter and her exceptional powers. Several of the children came up to Sky as she got her food, asking about her powers and her Partners. Sky's lingering fears of being judged for her powers dissolved with so many people expressing their interest and admiration for her abilities. It temporarily made her forget about the situation with her and Nick. Speaking of which, Nick and Leland floated up to the rafters, where they wouldn't be seen. Especially if Nick and Sky switched.

As Harley, Sky, and Blade found some seats for themselves and their friends, Harley took a look around. "Anyone see Finn, Sparky, or Katherine?"

Sky scanned the room. "Nope. I'll bet they're still doing research."

"Let me call them." Harley suggested. "They can't miss this food. It's so delicious."

"I agree. Better than most of Maru's cooking." Blade nodded.

Harley pulled out her cell phone, and she paused. "Huh. Katherine left me a message. Shortly before she tried to call me on the radio." Harley put the phone to her ear to listen to the message.

" _Hey Harley, it's Katherine. We need to talk about someone who's making me suspicious. Then again, maybe you won't get this message until you get back into town. This guy Nathan called Simon has been hostile since we came, and it's making me nervous. I'm going to try a different way to call you. Hang on."_

"Something wrong?" Blade asked, noticing Harley's troubled look.

"Katherine thought so." Harley said. "Sky, do you remember someone named Simon? Lives here in town?"

"I hardly know anyone here." Sky reminded her. She jumped, and Nick's voice came out of her mouth. "Aw man. At least I didn't choke this time."

"Actually, it's good you're here." Harley said. "Have you noticed anyone acting hostile towards us? You and Leland are usually more observant when we're talking to….well, other living people."

Nick thought. "Uh, there was this one guy who kept glaring at us. He also followed us to Nathan's house. Didn't see him again when we left for the forest."

"Can you describe him?" Blade asked.

"Yeah, white guy. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Kinda ratty clothing." Nick said. He and Sky switched again, and Sky looked back and forth between Harley and Blade. "What'd I miss?"

"You see a guy with brown hair and ratty clothing following us?" Blade asked.

"I saw a guy like that when we first came in." Sky said. "Seemed surprised to see us."

"Could that be Simon?" Harley wondered.

"If it is, why would he already not like us?" Blade asked. "What'd we ever do to him?"

Harley tapped her watch in thought. "If we had a last name, I'd be able to do a background check."

"Harley!" the trio looked up at the call, and they saw Finn drive over to them in a hurry. "There you are. Have you see Katherine or that Sparky fellow?"

"Shouldn't they be with you?" Harley asked.

"We split up at the library, and they said they'd join me later." Finn explained. "But I've tried to call Katherine for the past hour, and she won't pick up. It's a tad concerning."

"That _is_ troubling." Sky said. "I would prefer if we could keep in better touch in a new place."

"Let me try to call her." Harley turned on her earpiece and covered it with her phone. But she only received static from Katherine's end. "Nothing. Either the line is dead or she's in a zero-service area."

"I would've thought you would have better tech." Blade said.

"We're not perfect." Finn said.

Nathan approached them. "Ah, there you all are. Everyone is here and accounted for in terms of the townsfolk. How about with your little traveling party?"

"It looks like we're missing two people." Blade said. "Katherine and Sparky."

"Hmm. They were with me and Mr. McMissile in the library." Nathan hummed in thought. "And I suppose your cell phones aren't working?"

"Nope." Harley sighed. "Your town is good for Wi-Fi, but that doesn't take away the fact that there's no cell service."

"I don't like this." Sky murmured.

"Yes, our younger generation and their cell phones don't like it either." Nathan chuckled.

"No, I mean I don't like not knowing where those two are." Sky corrected. "Especially Sparky. He has the curiosity of a child."

"I'm sure they're fine." Finn said. "In fact, I can check." He looked around to make sure no one was watching, and he activated the tracking system to pinpoint Katherine's location. He stared at his mirror as the computer searched for the signal that Katherine's communication system usually gave off. But Finn frowned when the words "Signal Not Found" blinked across the mirror screen. "Well, that's awfully worrying."

"We need to start asking around." Sky urged. "I'll feel a lot better when I know for sure where those two are."

Suddenly, someone burst through the door to the mess hall. The door swung open fast, slamming against the wall and catching everyone's attention. Simon stood at the door, panting heavily.

"Somebody help! Something happened in the forest!" Simon cried fearfully.

"Calm down, Simon." Nathan said as he approached the young man. "What happened?"

 _So this is Simon._ Sky thought. She, Harley, Finn, and Blade approached the front doors like several others in the room. Nick and Leland leaned out from where they parked on the rafters.

"I was with a couple of our visitors." Simon said. "The forklift and the one in the wheelchair. They wanted to see the forest. But we were attacked by coyotes, and they fell into a small ravine. They're trapped!"

"What?!" Sky and Harley gasped simultaneously.

"We must go after them!" Finn urged.

"Yeah, let's go!" Harley agreed. They rushed out the doors.

"Whoa, whoa! Hold it!" Nathan stopped them. "The forest is far too dangerous, especially with it getting so dark. You can't go out there."

"And you think you're going alone?" Sky snapped. "Trust us. We can do this."

"I _am_ trained in search-and-rescue." Blade reminded Nathan.

"But you are unfamiliar with the area." Nathan said. "I'll take a group to go search, and Simon will help us. Just stay here."

Sky looked down. "Fine."

Nathan gathered some of the townsfolk, and Simon led them into the forest. Blade glanced to Sky. "We're not really going to let them do this without us, are we?"

"Something seems fishy here." Harley said.

"We have to find them." Sky said. "Something tells me Simon won't be able to lead that group very well. Finn, Harley, is there any way we can track Katherine or Sparky?"

"If something happened to Katherine, she'd find a way to help us track her down." Harley said. "We should go out into the forest and start looking for tracks."

* * *

Going up the trail, Harley and Finn kept close watch on their tracking systems, constantly refreshing their searches for Katherine's tech. Blade flew overhead, always in touch with Sky.

"Do we really believe Simon could drag a forklift and a person in a wheelchair through the forest?" Leland asked.

"I don't think so." Harley said. "But that's what's really weird about this. I don't see any kinds of tracks. Not even drag marks."

"This is very unnerving." Finn said. "I still can't get any kind of readings from anything."

"There has to be something we can do." Nick said. "Anything. I can't see a thing without your headlights on."

Harley and Sky were armed with flashlights, and shined them around the area. They could hear Blade's rotors as he glided just above the treetops. They spun around when they heard an owl hoot in the trees.

"I've spent my entire life in the desert, listening to the sounds of nature before I go to bed." Harley said. "But this forest still gives me the creeps."

"You're telling me." Sky said. "I'm not normally afraid of the forest. But I feel like something's going to pop out of the trees and grab me."

"I know." Harley agreed. "It's like every time I turn around, I see—" She did a double-take, and then screamed.

Sky whipped around, shining her flashlight in the direction Harley looked. She almost dropped the flashlight. "Max?"

It certainly looked like the firefighting partner of Mayday, who died so many years ago. Except he had a ghostly blue glow around his body.

"Who's that?" Harley asked.

"He's an old friend of mine. He was a firefighter in Propwash Junction." Sky noticed another glowing figure. "And he has a friend."

Harley gasped when she recognized the ghost car. "Doc. That's my dad!"

Max beckoned Sky and Harley forward, and he and Doc began moving through the trees.

"Come on!" Sky urged. "I think they know where Katherine and Sparky are!"

"Finn! Leland! Nick! We got a lead!" Harley called, following Sky to chase after the ghosts.

"Harley, wait!" Leland called as the boys hurried after them.

Nick flew up to Blade. "Come on, partner! We've got a lead!"

Sky and Harley hopped over tree roots and ducked under low branches as they followed the ghosts of Doc and Max through the forest. Finn, Leland, and Nick stayed close behind. Nick and Sky switched a few times on the way. After a few minutes, the ghosts stopped, turned to the girls, and then faded away.

"Thanks a lot, Dad." Harley huffed. "Doc. Always the mentor, always talking metaphorically and leading mysteriously."

Sky moved her flashlight beam around the area. She felt the edge of her shoe fall into a dip, and she aimed her flashlight down. "Hey Harley. Check this out."

Harley crouched to investigate the small rut in the dirt. "This isn't like a normal track of any kind. It looks like someone dragged a stick through the dirt."

Sky stared in the direction of the rut. "No. Not a stick. A forklift fork! Sparky did this! Come on!"

The group dashed off, following the trail Sparky left. The terrain was mostly flat, with an incline here and there. It still didn't make sense to anyone. How could Simon—a rather skinny human—carry or drag Sparky and Katherine through the forest? If that's what happened, and it seemed more and more likely.

"There!" Harley pointed her flashlight farther ahead.

"Blade, come in!" Sky said into her radio. "We found Sparky and Katherine. They're due east, near the river. There should be a big enough clearing for you to land."

" _Roger that, Raven."_ Blade said. _"On my way."_

Harley approached Katherine and Sparky, cutting them free of their bonds and removing their duct tape gags. Katherine lay on the ground, her wheelchair nowhere to be seen. Sparky had a parking boot on both back tires. They began to come back into consciousness as Harley freed them. "Are you two okay?"

"We have to get out of here!" Sparky yelped.

"What do you mean?" Blade asked as he touched down behind them.

"It's a trap!" Katherine warned.

Suddenly, a net popped up to their left, strung between two trees. Another net sprung up to the right. They were boxed in with two nets on either side and the river behind them. Simon appeared in their only available exit. He carried a lantern in one hand, and he dragged a large jug of water with him. A hard glare graced his face.

"I almost can't believe how easily I could drag you out here." Simon scoffed. "How easily I could trap you. How foolish can you get?"

Harley put a hand to the net, only to pull back quickly. "Electric netting. Figures."

"What do you want, Simon?" Sky demanded.

"I want you, Skylar." Simon said. "I want you dead. And that amulet destroyed."

"The amulet?" Sparky asked. "Why do you want it gone?"

"Because he knows it's the amulet of the Goddess of Psyche." Sky realized.

"That's right." Simon said. "I saw you come in with the amulet around your neck, and I recognized it at once."

"So, you've been searching for the amulet, too." Finn guessed.

"For years, yes." Simon said. "My ancestor was the one who stole the amulet of the Goddess, and she cursed my family for it. I thought I could find the amulet and use it for a bargaining tool. But I could see that even you couldn't find the Goddess."

"Simon, the curse the Goddess put on your family will disappear when we return the amulet." Harley said. "Let us take it back to her, and you can even get a wish for it."

"If that's true, then I would wish for the Goddess to disappear completely! For her power to become mine!" Simon growled.

"Oh, so you're absolutely insane. Good to know." Blade snapped.

"I don't know why my ancestor stole the amulet from the Goddess, but I will not let her have it ever again! Not unless she lifts the curse she put on my family!" Simon set his lantern on the ground and used a free hand to manipulate the water in the jug, pulling it free and suspending it in the air.

"He's an element controller." Harley gasped. "He controls the water!"

Simon chuckled. "Oh, not just water." He raised his free hand, and everyone felt like their joints and gears rusted solid. "I can control any liquid, like blood, hydraulic fluid, and gas."

"Can anyone else move?" Sky asked. "I'm completely stiff."

"I feel like my parking break is stuck on." Finn grimaced.

"This is really uncomfortable." Sparky groaned.

"It's a shame I have to kill you so soon. Your grandfather was so thrilled to bring you here." Simon said, sprinkling the blob of liquid from his jug all around the group. Sky caught a whiff, and she realized the "water" was actually some kind of alcohol.

"Where is he?" Sky demanded.

"Oh don't worry. He'll escape before the fire consumes him. It was rather easy for him to lose track of me in the dark." Simon stepped up to Sky and yanked the amulet off her neck. He stuffed it in his pocket and then pulled out a box of matches. He struck a handful aflame.

"How exactly are you going to explain all of us dying at once?" Harley demanded. "The honored guests of the town, suddenly all dead?"

"Well, you _did_ go out into the forest against Nathan's orders." Simon shrugged. "And one of you really shouldn't smoke in the forest in the summer." He pulled out a box of cigarettes and dumped them onto the forest floor. He tossed the matches onto the line of alcohol, instantly igniting it and setting the brush aflame. "Enjoy burning to a crisp." Simon waved, turning to walk back to the town.

"Simon, stop!" Sky shouted. "You can't do this!"

"Watch me." Simon chuckled. He kept walking, but a flash of blue suddenly rushed past him and knocked him to the ground. "What the? Who are you?"

"A royally ticked-off dad." Doc growled, revving his engine. Max stood next to him, both ghosts looking (as Doc put it) royally ticked off.

Simon stared in shock. "Ghosts? Seriously?"

Doc suddenly lunged, and Simon jumped out of the way. He grabbed a thick stick to block Max's axe. He didn't know if a ghost axe would hurt him, but it certainly felt real enough to hurt.

"Oh, I'm not missing out on this!" Nick lunged through fire to join the fight.

"We'll hold him off!" Leland followed Nick's lead. Upon seeing even more ghosts coming after him, Simon summoned water from the river to help him fight.

"How do we get out of here?" Harley asked. "The river?"

"Too deep, and the flames are spreading too fast." Sky said. "We have to go straight towards Simon and get out of here before the fire gets too far."

"How exactly are we going to do that?" Katherine demanded.

"Leave it to me." Sky said, stepping up to the flames. "I just hope Nick and I don't switch while I do it." She raised her hands to the flames, and then parted the fire like Moses and the Red Sea. "Go! Get through!" Harley lifted up Katherine and placed her on Finn's hood. Everyone ran through the space in the flames and to safety. Sky was the last to go, and then she ran straight to Simon.

"Sky, wait!" Harley shouted. "Crazy girl."

Sky suddenly tripped as she and Nick switched. But they switched back again just as quickly, and Sky grabbed Simon's ankle to make him fall. She grabbed the amulet, but Simon held her wrists and grappled with her. When Nick and Sky switched again, Simon took advantage of the surprised hesitation and grabbed Sky again. He wrapped an arm around her neck and held her against his chest, strangling her. Sky and Nick switched back.

"Stay away from me or I'll kill her!" Simon threatened, grabbing the amulet back from Sky with his free hand. Nobody dared to protest. It was just too risky.

But Harley _did_ make a move. She shared a look with Leland, and a silent understanding passed between them. Harley pulled out her pistol and aimed it at Simon. "Sky, close your eyes."

"Uh, okay." Sky choked out. She trusted Harley, especially with her life. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Let her go, or I will shoot you where you stand." Harley threatened.

"You wouldn't dare." Simon scoffed. "Not with her life on the line."

Harley didn't hesitate. She fired her gun. The bullet nicked Sky and hit Simon's shoulder. He stumbled backwards, and Sky spun around to grab the amulet. Doc and Leland lunged simultaneously, slamming into Simon and sending him flying. The force of the blow and Sky's grip on the amulet broke the pendant from its chain, and Simon flew so far back that he went over the flames and fell into the river.

"Not bad, spy car." Doc mused.

"Not bad yourself, Mr. Harley's Father." Leland chuckled.

Harley went up to Sky to inspect her injury. "You just shot me in the shoulder to save my life." Sky said in a snarky tone. She tucked the amulet away in her pocket.

"It's a flesh wound. You'll live." Harley huffed, healing Sky's injury with her powers.

"Help!" Simon called frantically from the river as the current swept him away. "Somebody! Please!"

"Come on!" Sky urged, running towards the river. "We have to save him!"

"You want to save the guy I just shot to save you?!" Harley cried incredulously.

"Yes, now let's go!" Sky shouted back.

"That girl is nuts." Nick groaned. Everyone, ghost and living included, followed Sky towards the riverbank.

"But she's right." Blade said. "We can't just let him die." He started up his rotors and took off at the river. He threw his hoist out for Sky to grab, and he pulled her up to him. Nick stayed by her side. The others traveled alongside the river, watching Simon struggle in the water.

Leland darted ahead, and then the ghost floated up to Blade, Sky, and Nick. "Good news is there are no major waterfalls. Bad news is the rapids get worse downriver. If we don't get him out soon, he'll drown or get bashed against the rocks."

"Lower me down, Blade!" Sky ordered, snapping the hoist hook onto a belt loop of her jeans. She held tight to the cable as Blade lowered her down, right over Simon. Sky held onto the cable with one hand and reached her other arm out to grab Simon's outstretched hand. But the river pulled him away before Sky could catch him.

Suddenly, Nick and Sky switched again. Startled by being thrust into Sky's point-of-view of the situation, Nick yelped and lost his grip on the hoist cable. He ended up dangling on the end of the hook.

"Hang on, Nick!" Blade called, trying to keep Nick from swinging so much.

Sky managed to float/fly behind her body. "Nick! Watch out for that tree!"

Too late. Nick hit the tree leaning across the river. The hook tore free from the belt loop of Sky's jeans, and the river pulled Nick away. Blade tried to fly after him, but his hoist tangled in the branches of the tree. "Oh great." Blade groaned.

Nick gasped as his head popped above water. "Sky! Help! You didn't teach me how to swim like a human!"

"Harley, help Blade!" Sky shouted to the shore. "I have to help Nick!"

"I'm on it!" Harley jumped up onto the fallen tree and ran to Blade. She activated a mini-saw from her watch, and she began cutting at the branches to free Blade's hoist. Sky ran/flew downriver towards Nick.

"Grab something, Nick!" Sky urged. "I can't grab anything in this state!"

"I can't!" Nick gasped, his head constantly dipping below the water.

Finn drove ahead and shot one of his grappling hooks across the river. "Grab hold, Lopez!"

Nick looked up to the hook cable, and he quickly grabbed it. Finn pulled him to the rocks, where Nick shakily climbed up. "Thanks." He coughed.

"Nick, you have to save Simon!" Katherine called. "Finn and Sparky can't get down this way!"

Nick looked to the thick foliage blocking the vehicles' path. He'd have to run along the rocks to reach Simon, who had grabbed a rock in the middle of the river to stop himself. "But I…"

"Nick, you can do it." Sky assured. "I'll be right by your side the whole time."

For some reason, Nick felt frozen in place. "But I'm not a hero like you."

"Then now's the time to prove yourself wrong." Sky said. "Now get off your tail and move it!"

Nick jolted, and he scrambled across the rocks and down towards Simon. He stumbled a bit along the rocks, but righted himself quickly and kept running/climbing. Sky kept beside him, mostly for moral support since she couldn't grab anything in her spirit state. Once they reached Simon, Nick looked around for something to snatch the man. He saw a single rock between him and Simon. There was also a thick tree branch sticking out of the rocks. Nick grabbed the branch and hopped over to the rock closer to Simon. He almost lost his balance.

"This is nerve-wracking." Nick gulped.

"Just don't damage my body." Sky said. "You know what you're doing?"

"I think so." Nick said. He crouched down and lowered the branch into the water. Thankfully, the branch stretched from Simon's rock to the one Nick stood on. "Simon, crawl across the branch and take my hand!" Nick ordered.

Simon scooted along the rock and wrapped his arms around the branch. He pulled himself closer to Sky (wondering why a man's voice came from her mouth), reaching for the outstretched hand. Nick took hold of Simon's hand and pulled. But the current pushed against Simon so hard that he broke through the branch, and he pulled Nick into the water with him.

"Hang on, Nick!" Sky called.

Nick struggled in the water, but he held on to Simon's wrist. Every time his head went above water, he would look for Sky or Blade. Anyone who could help.

Suddenly, Nick and Simon went over a small dip, and they temporarily fell into open air. That's when Blade finally arrived, throwing his hoist for Nick to catch. Nick held on tight, and Blade pulled him and Simon out of the water. At that moment, Nick and Sky switch back, and Sky pulled her knees up to clamp them on the hoist cable to give her a better grip. Nick's ghostly form materialized beside her.

"Whew. That was close." Nick sighed.

"You were great, Nick!" Sky said as Blade brought her and Simon over to solid ground.

"That was crazy!" Nick protested. "There are so many things I should've done instead of that."

"No, it's fine." Blade assured. "You did good in such a high-tense situation."

Sky and Simon settled on the ground, and Blade reeled in his hoist. "Nick, you were amazing. Just never hesitate like that again." Sky said.

Nick nodded. "Right. If I ever get a chance like that again." His eyes widened. "Sky, watch out!"

Sky turned just in time for her arm to intercept Simon's knife. Instead of hitting her stomach, like he intended, the blade pierced her arm. Sky growled in pain and punched Simon squarely in the nose, causing him to stumble back. There was a crazed look in Simon's eyes. Sky blocked both his punches and kicked him back again. Simon stayed on his feet, determined to kill Sky.

"Sky, get down!" Harley's voice sounded from behind Sky. She squatted down and covered her head with her arms. She heard three shots; and when she looked up, Simon had two bullet holes in his chest and one in his forehead. He fell backwards and hit the ground, dead. Sky stood and turned around. Harley, Katherine, and Finn still hadn't lowered their guns.

"Saved you again, friend." Katherine chuckled, stowing her gun.

"You still have the amulet?" Harley asked. Sky patted her pockets, and then pulled out the amulet. She sighed in relief.

"Everyone all right?" Max asked as Blade touched down.

"We're fine now." Nick said.

"Us too." Sparky confirmed.

Harley came up to Sky, jerked Simon's knife from her arm, and healed her injury. "We'll have to tell Nathan about this."

"How are we getting his body back to the town?" Sparky asked, looking at Simon. "I'm not carrying him."

"Neither am I." Blade huffed, staring at Simon's body disgustedly.

"Put him in my truck." Finn offered. "No need to treat a scumbag like him with respect." Harley loaded Simon's body into Finn's trunk, rather unceremoniously.

"How is Nathan going to explain this?" Sky wondered. "Do you think Simon has any family?"

"Um, we have bigger problems." Leland said.

"Like what?" Katherine asked.

"Like that!" Leland nodded upwards. Everyone looked to see the tops of the trees above them on fire.

"Let's get out of here!" Blade yelled.


	16. Miraculous Things

**A/N: Livvy Leopard caught a slight plot hole with Simon falling in the water and not controlling it. Darn me. I might be able to explain that away in the next chapter. Until then, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen – Miraculous Things**

"Dad, Mr. Max, get out of here!" Harley urged.

"Not until you all are safe!" Doc protested.

"This way!" Max urged. They hurried off in the opposite direction of the fire. However, the dry forest provided perfect fuel for the fire, and the flames spread quickly. The tops of the trees caught fire first. Then the grass and the brush on the ground. Sky used her pyrokinesis to help make a path for everyone.

"Which way is the town?" Harley asked no one in particular.

"Who cares? Let's just get out of here!" Sparky yelped.

"Blade, what do we do?" Nick asked.

"We have to find some cover! Let it burn over!" Blade urged.

"What cover?" Sky demanded. "There aren't any caves or abandoned mines out here!"

"Then what do we do?" Leland demanded. "Back ourselves up against the river?"

"No good." Blade said. "If the fire doesn't get us, we'll be pushed into the river and possibly swept downstream."

They all skidded to a halt when flaming branches landed in their path. Sky manipulated the flames again. But she suddenly lost control as she and Nick switched once more.

"Take control of the fire, Nick!" Katherine urged.

"I can't!" Nick protested. "Sky didn't teach me her pyromaniac stuff! Quick, teach me!"

"First off, it's called 'pyrokinesis.'" Sky said. "Second, I don't have time to give you Pyro 101 lessons!" She and Nick switched back, and Sky parted the flames for everyone to dart through. But Sky and Nick switched yet again, then switched back again. Their switching became more rapid, and it got harder for Sky to use her powers.

"Where do we go?" Sparky asked. "Everything is on fire!"

"I can't use my powers anymore!" Sky groaned. "We can't stop switching!" Everyone stopped when they found their path blocked. But when they looked around, they realized there truly wasn't another way to go. Flaming debris started to fall towards them. Harley created a force field around them to protect the group.

Nick and Sky began switching every couple seconds. "What's happening?" Nick asked.

"I think one of you is about to disappear!" Katherine gasped.

Harley gritted her teeth a little. "This force field's getting hot."

"Just hold it up as best you can." Finn came closer to Harley, hoping to lend her his strength. "This is our only shelter for the fire to burn over."

"You can do it." Doc assured.

"It's getting kind of hot in here." Sparky complained a little.

Everyone was so focused on the fire that they almost forgot about the two people in their group in the most distress. Nick and Sky felt weak from all the switching. "Sky, just hang on." Nick whispered to her. "I'll disappear, and you can be there for Blade."

"No, _you_ should be here for Blade." Sky protested.

"I've been dead for years, Sky."

"And you didn't deserve to be dead."

"That's a dumb thing to say."

"So is 'let me die,' which is basically what you're saying."

"Sky, I lived my life."

"I don't want you to disappear. It'll hurt me _and_ Blade."

"It'll hurt Blade more if he loses you."

"This is going to hurt him regardless!"

"This is not up for discussion."

"We're not discussing, we're arguing! And I don't think we even have a choice!"

" _Would both of you just shut up?!"_ Blade shouted at them.

Nick and Sky jumped, and they saw that everyone stared at them. Their argument caught the attention of the rest of the group. The two of them looked down.

Blade sighed heavily. "I'm tired of worrying about this. I'm tired of thinking about which friend I'll lose next. Nothing about this situation is fair or ideal or good. But I'm prepared for whatever happens. I won't fall back into that hole I dug for myself after you died, Nick. There are a lot of people I can lean on for help, and I'm not afraid to anymore. I'm ready for whatever happens, now. But, if I had my way, I'd give my own life to save both of yours."

"Don't think that way." Nick scolded. "You had enough of those thoughts after I died. We'll get through it. Somehow, in some way, we'll get through this."

"Right." Blade nodded. "Sky?"

Sky didn't answer for a moment. Then, she looked up to Blade. "I haven't dealt with something like this since Max died. It just seems so…permanent…"

"I think you've got plenty of proof to show you otherwise." Max chuckled, gesturing to himself, Doc, and Leland, the ghosts of the group.

Sky knew she didn't have much time to think before she or Nick vanished. It still hurt to think about it. Not only hurt, but she was truly terrified, which didn't happen much in her life. But she smiled nonetheless. She stepped up to Blade and put a hand on his muzzle, activating their Soul Connect Thread. "I'm not ready. But I'll learn to accept what happens."

"So will we." Katherine said. Harley nodded in agreement. Even Sparky smiled sadly.

Suddenly, the force field went from aqua green-colored to pure white. The air became cool and comfortable again.

"Well done, Harley!" Finn congratulated his Partner.

"Uh, I'm not doing this." Harley said.

"Katherine?" Leland asked.

"Not me." Katherine shook her head. In fact, everyone denied having anything to do with the new force field.

"What's going on?" Doc wondered as the force field began to glow brighter. "Harley?"

"I'm not the one doing this." Harley insisted.

The light became brighter and brighter, and everyone scooted closer together. Nobody could see a thing. Nobody could hear the roar of the wildfire anymore.

* * *

Everyone had shut their eyes to prevent themselves from being blinded. When the light died, eyes blinked open and then widened.

"Where are we?" Blade wondered. His voice echoed in the cavern where they now stood.

"A cave, I guess. Or a tunnel." Finn said.

Harley put a hand to the cave wall. "Never knew a cave made of tree bark. And where is the light coming from? I can see almost perfectly in here."

"But how did we get here?" Nick wondered.

"Hey, Doc and Max are gone." Sky realized.

"Sky! You and Nick aren't switching anymore!" Katherine gasped.

Sky and Nick looked down and inspected themselves. Sure enough, Nick was back in his ghostly helicopter form, and Sky was back in her own body. They stayed that way, too.

"I feel more solid. Like I'm fully on my own two feet." Sky realized.

"And I feel light as a feather!" Nick did a flip in his glee.

"Okay, reign in the joy, partner." Blade said, despite the relieved smile on his lips. "We still don't know where we are. Or how we got here, for that matter."

"Or how those doors got there." Sparky pointed to the giant set of wooden doors before them.

"Were those there two minutes ago?" Sky asked. A round of negative responses answered. The doors opened, and everyone backed up a little.

"I guess there's nowhere else to go except forward." Blade said.

"Leland and I can scout ahead. Come on, Turbo." Nick and Leland floated ahead of the group, and Sky and Harley led the way through the doors. The large doors shut behind them, slightly unnerving the traveling group. But they continued on with Leland and Nick's encouragement. Lanterns blazed to life, lining the tunnel and guiding them.

They continued down the tunnel for several minutes, and then Nick and Leland hurried up to them. "You guys aren't going to believe this!" Nick said excitedly. Everyone picked up the pace, and they stopped when they reached a large room. There was a table and bookshelf off to one side, the table covered in bottles and jars of unidentifiable liquids and lights. A couch and a TV sat on the other side of the room. On the far end rested two hearths: a large one with a fire blazing inside and a smaller one built in the wall with a green fire. A woman sat on the couch, wearing a green T-shirt and black yoga pants, watching _Scooby-Doo._

"I apologize for not having refreshments prepared." The woman said, shutting off her TV. "Except I wasn't expecting guests."

All except Nick and Sky were astonished and rattled by the woman's physical appearance changing every two seconds or so. "Who are you?" Harley asked.

"That's Seishin." Nick breathed.

"The Goddess of Psyche." Sky added.

"At your service." Seishin bowed to her visitors. "I must admit I am surprised you managed to make it to my home. This is usually only possible if one activates a deity token."

"A deity token?" Katherine looked to Sky. Sky reached into her pocket and pulled out the amulet. Except now, the amulet glowed softly.

"The amulet must've brought us to you." Sky murmured.

Seishin's eyes settled on the amulet, and she gasped softly. "Wait…is that….how did you….?"

"We sort of came upon it by accident." Nick explained. "I had given it to Sky, and later we found out what the darned thing was."

"We've been trying to find you to return it." Harley said. "Didn't you see us looking for you?"

"Actually, I just got back from a trip to Spain. I had a hot date with a dryad." Seishin giggled at everyone's reactions.

"Well, at least we found you." Sky said, handing Seishin the amulet.

Seishin looked like she had to restrain herself from snatching the amulet eagerly. A new chain materialized out of thin air, threading through the amulet and allowing Seishin to clip it back around her neck. A glow passed over her, and she sighed heavily. "Gods, I have missed this feeling. I'm indebted to you, Skylar Amelia Riley. And your friends. I suppose you'll be asking for that wish I promised."

"The girls deserve the credit, really." Blade said. "They're the ones who did all the research."

"And Sky came up with the idea to find you." Sparky added. "We all thought she was crazy."

"So I'll be granting _your_ wishes, then." Seishin mused, staring at Sky, Harley, and Katherine in turn.

"If you don't mind." Sky said. "See, Nick and I are in this kind of situation. A while back, I was in a race, and then I got injured, and then Nick—"

Seishin held up a hand to silence Sky. "I heard the call of my amulet soon after I returned home. I came up to the surface to investigate, and saw your fight with that Simon fellow. I also heard your argument, and your Partner's words." Seishin smiled at Blade. "You have a very strong Partner, Skylar. So brave, like you. When I learned that you and Nick were trapped in one body, I dispelled Nick's spirit from your body, in honor of the bravery and devotion I saw."

"So we're back to normal?" Nick gasped. "Yes!" Blade sighed in relief, smiling thankfully.

"Now, I still have three wishes to grant for my precious psyche humans." Seishin said.

"First, can I ask you something I've been dying to know?" Sky requested. At Seishin's nod, Sky asked, "Why did you make us? I went through the dreams from the book, and I did all this research, but I still don't fully understand why you would make humans like me and my friends. Why?"

Seishin nodded slowly in understanding. She raised her hands, and light materialized in the air. The lights took different forms as Seishin explained. "Thousands of years ago, there were no psyche humans. Vehicles and humans lived apart from each other. They feared one another because they were so different. Soon, a war started. No matter what I or any of the spirits did, the fighting did not stop. There seemed to be no hope for peace. That's when I got the idea to create something that could bond the two species together. Something that could show how they could get along. Thus, the psyche human was born. A creature who looked like a human, but had a heart like an engine. A creature who could bond with vehicles spiritually and physically. I made psyche humans to bring peace.

"I was born in Basque Country, but I found my place of dwelling here, in the forests of California, long before they became known as such. From this place, I created psyche humans and helped them spread to other cultures. I took the forms of deities in those cultures to assist them. My first psyche humans I fashioned from clay and wood, brought to life with fire. To guide them, I created a psyche human from a piece of myself. That piece of myself, that very first psyche human, is your ancestor, Skylar."

Sky gasped. "Really? We're related?"

"Yes. In a way." Seishin chuckled at Sky's slack-jawed reaction. "That is why you are so powerful. That is why you have two different powers and two different Partners."

"Is that why she has dreamscape power? It's so rare." Harley guessed.

"Partly, yes." Seishin nodded. "Your powers are an extension of who you are. Your fiery personality, and your strong imagination and desire for control, Sky, lead you to pyrokinesis and dreamscape. Harley: the healer and protector. Katherine: the formally lonely soul who makes connections and friends so easily."

"Whoa." Harley breathed.

Seishin touched her amulet. "This, I made to allow me to keep an eye on my people, so I could help them should they ever need it. Like a mother, it seems, I worried for my creations. After the amulet was stolen, I spent so many years in the dark. I had to travel so often, but I still had to create new psyche humans and find them Partners for them to encounter in their lives. For so long, I had to pray nothing terrible happened. Word traveled to me about the incident at the Academy for Psyche Students, and that horrible man who tried to wipe out my precious children. I spent quite a bit of time beating myself up for not being there, but I am so thankful you girls were there and could save the day."

"Well, that's just what Harley does." Sky said, smiling at her friend. "And Katherine? She was so brave."

"Hey, you were brave, too." Harley said. "Heck, you didn't totally flip when you found out I was a spy."

"I guess I was more freaked when I first saw you with a gun." Sky laughed.

Seishin chortled. "What wonderful psych-mans you grew up to be. What wonderful lives you've lived, and the years to come will no doubt be any different. But I believe we still have your wishes to deal with. Must get you home as soon as possible."

"What're you guys gonna wish for?" Sparky asked excitedly.

"Goodness, I don't know." Katherine said. "Skylar, Harley, one of you go first."

Sky and Harley exchanged a look and a smile. "We already know what we want." Sky said.

Harley nodded. "Seishin, Goddess of Psyche, if you can, Sky and I want to bring two friends back to this world for good. There are others I think of when I think of this wish, like my dad, but his time had come, and I've accepted that. But Leland and Nick? They died too young."

"Can you bring them back to life?" Sky requested.

The two aforementioned ghosts stared in shock, their jaws dropped. "Are you guys serious?" Nick breathed.

"You want to use such a gift on us?" Leland asked uncertainly.

"Of course. You're our friends." Sky said.

"And you deserve this." Harley assured. "That's how we want to use our wishes." Leland and Nick smiled, still shocked and very touched by the kind gesture.

Seishin thought for a moment. "This is something I can do, but it's going to require something from Nick and Leland. Ghosts return to the mortal world because they feel they have unfinished business, or they have something to connect to in the living world. If you want to come back to life, you're going to need something much stronger. So, Leland and Nick, what bonds you to this world so strongly that you could return to life?"

"That's easy for me!" Leland assured. "My friendship with Finn and Harley. Not to mention my Soul Connection with Katherine."

"Yes, very good." Seishin nodded. "And what about you, Nick "Loopin'" Lopez? What anchors you to this world?"

Nick didn't even have to think about it. "My bond with my _hermano,_ Blade. And there's a certain young woman on this earth that I've kinda maybe fallen in love with."

"Kinda maybe?" Sky smirked.

Nick chuckled nervously. "Well, yeah…..uh….." He blinked. "Wait, do you know? Who told you?!"

"No one. I sort of figured it out myself." Sky shrugged.

"Oh." Nick might've turned red from everyone laughing good-naturedly at him. "And, uh, how do you feel about that?"

Sky blushed. "I don't know how to describe my feelings, but I think I might be in love with a certain helicopter who has always been such a good friend."

Nick looked like he would pass out from bliss, but Blade nudged him to snap him out of it. "About time, partner." Blade chuckled.

"You knew this whole time, didn't you?" Sky crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Blade.

"Maybe." Blade shrugged innocently.

Seishin laughed. "I always knew you were one of my favorite Soul Connect Partners."

"Well, I would hope to be in favor of a goddess, considering I'm partnered with one of her descendants." Blade said.

"Did you plan that?" Sky asked Seishin.

"Yes." Seishin nodded. "Whenever a psyche human is born, I must choose a Soul Connect Partner for them. That means I must search for a vehicle already alive, recently born or otherwise, or I must consult with a deity friend of mine to find a vehicle soon to be born. For you, Sky, I had to choose a very special Partner. In fact, I had to choose two because of your immense power. To be honest, I didn't know who it would be at first. I don't choose your psyche human birthmark. Those come about on their own, based on who your Partner will be. I had to consult an oracle to find the two vehicles who would impact your life the most: your adoptive father and your friend with whom you place your life on a daily basis."

"But even with an oracle, how could you know that I would meet Skipper or Blade?" Sky asked.

"I don't." Seishin shrugged. "The oracle's visions tell me who the Partner will be. I have to trust that Fate will guide them together. That's the funny thing about Soul Connections. Somehow, in some way, the psych-man and the vehicle are drawn together."

"This is so fascinating." Katherine said in awe.

"It _is_ pretty cool, isn't it?" Seishin giggled. "But let's move on to your wishes. I can grant Sky's and Harley's wishes, but I need to give Nick and Leland new bodies to start their new lives. Nick's body was buried years ago, and is no longer intact enough to hold a spirit. As for you Leland Turbo…well, let's face it. You were crushed into a cube. Can't exactly go back to a body like that."

"Yes, don't remind me." Leland chuckled weakly.

Seishin thought for a moment. "Let's see. Completely new forms, different from your old ones. Ah! I've got it!" She hurried to her work table, pushing aside some of the materials and pulling a couple blocks of wood near her. Everyone watched, awestruck, as Seishin moved at lightning-fast speed, carving each block of wood into the form of a human man. Then she took out a paintbrush, and a single touch from the bristles colored the dolls. "There. Two human forms, ready to go. Now, Katherine, I can assign you a new Soul Connect Partner without a problem. Just let me—"

"Actually, I don't want a new Partner." Katherine protested politely.

"Really? Then how can I still be your Partner when I'm human?" Leland asked.

"I don't know, but I want you to remain my Partner." Katherine insisted. "I am who I am now because of my experiences and friendship with you. You've helped me get stronger, be more confident in myself. Seishin, if you can, use my wish in exchange for keeping Leland as my Partner. Please."

Seishin thought about it for a moment. "I think I can work something out. A Soul Connection is a link between the heart of a psych-man and the engine of a vehicle. So, all we have to do is give Leland's human form a heart that resembles an engine."

"You can do that?" Finn asked in amazement.

"I'm a goddess." Seishin said sassily. "I can do whatever I damn well please." Everyone laughed at the remark. "But that means, if you get any injures in the chest or heart problems, you'll go to Harley instead of a regular doctor. Understand?"

"This is very generous, madam." Leland said. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. There is something important you must know." Seishin's tone was serious now. "If these wishes are to be fulfilled, you must accept your new forms knowing that you can never go back to your old lives. Only the ones who knew you as ghosts can know of your new selves. Your families, anyone you knew in your previous lives, cannot know of this. They only know you as dead, anyway. You will still go by Nick Lopez and Leland Turbo, but I wouldn't recommend becoming an actor and a spy again. Do you understand and accept this?"

"I accept." Leland nodded.

"I'm in!" Nick agreed. "At least we'll still be with some of our old friends."

"Yes, I think we'll be all right." Leland said. "We accept."

Seishin stepped up to the ghosts, holding out the dolls. The wooden figures floated up to hang in the air, and then they dissolved into what looked like thousands of tiny fireflies, which began to circle around Nick and Leland. Soon, the two ghosts were consumed by the lights.

When the light died, two human men stood in the ghosts' places. Leland was a Caucasian man, now, dressed in black loafers and a black suit with a red shirt. His eyes were still lilac-colored, and his clean-cut hair the same color as his old paintjob. Nick was a Latino man: tan skin, black hair, and the same amber eyes he always had. He dressed in blue-and-white sneakers, jeans, and a _"CHoPs"_ promotional T-shirt.

"Whoa!" Nick looked down to his new body. "Check us out!" He put a hand to his chest. "I have a heartbeat! Cool!"

Leland mimicked Nick. "I do, too, but it almost feels like the beats are humming."

"Probably the engine part of your heart." Harley guessed. "You look good."

"I'm not sure how I feel about these arms and legs." Leland wobbled a little.

"I think you look great." Blade said. He and Finn looked thrilled to see their friends revived and living again.

"Although, I can't remember the last time you were clean-shaven." Finn chuckled at Leland, noting that his old spy partner did not have a facial hair equivalent to his old grill plate.

Leland rubbed his mouth. "My skin is so smooth."

" _Muy macho,_ eh Blade?" Nick laughed, flexing his small muscles.

Blade rolled his eyes. "Nope. Still as scrawny as ever."

Nick scoffed. "Whatever." He leaned against Blade, and suddenly a glowing thread appeared between Nick and Blade. The thread went from Blade's engine to Nick's new heart.

"Is that…..?" Katherine gasped.

"A Soul Connect Thread." Harley confirmed. "Nick, you're a psyche human! You and Blade are Soul Connecting!"

Sky went to Blade and put a hand on his side. "Hey, we're still connecting, too!"

"Wow." Nick checked his arms, and he found a psyche human birthmark on his forearm: a heart surrounded by flames. "That's so awesome!"

Seishin chuckled. "Well, I think it's about time you went home. Enjoy your new lives." She raised her hands, palms towards the group. A glowing circle appeared around everyone, steadily getting brighter.

"Wait!" Sparky gasped. "What about the wildfire?"

"Yeah, that thing's probably still raging up there!" Harley agreed.

"Seishin, what do we do?" Sky asked.

"You started it, you take care of it." Seishin shrugged.

"We didn't start it!" Katherine protested. "Simon did!"

"Well then it's a good thing you have a pyromaniac in your group." Seishin laughed. Her laughter echoed around the group as the light consumed them.

* * *

When the light faded, it was replaced with the glow of the wildfire raging around them. Harley summoned another force field to protect them.

"Thanks a lot, Seishin!" Nick shouted into the air.

"What do we do?" Sparky asked.

"I could call Siddeley to pick us up." Finn suggested.

"No." Blade said. "That jet will stir up the embers into a firestorm. I won't be able to fly us out either."

"Maybe I can move us through the fire." Harley said. "Except my force field won't extinguish the flames while we walk."

"What did Seishin mean when she mentioned a 'pyromaniac'?" Leland wondered.

Sky jolted a little in realization. She stared at her hands, and then to the fire part of her psyche human birthmark. "I got it! I understand!"

"What? What do we do?" Blade asked.

"Harley, let me out of here. But keep the force field up to protect everyone." Sky ordered.

"What?" Harley gawked. "You want to go out into that inferno?"

"Trust me." Sky assured. "I know what to do."

Blade analyzed Sky's confident look. "Harley, do what she says."

Harley hesitated, but then dropped the shield long enough for Sky to jump out. Harley brought the force field up again to protect the group from the wildfire. Sky stood just outside the shield, staring at the fire.

" _Cuervo,_ be careful!" Nick called.

Sky shut her eyes. She felt the heat from the fire. She heard the crackling and roaring of the flames. She focused on her powers of pyrokinesis. So often, she used her power without really feeling it. Now, it was like Sky could feel the fire within her. By feeling that fire inside her, she could feel the fire around her.

Sky extended her palms towards the ground. The fire seemed to lean towards her, awaiting her orders. She raised her arms slowly, and the flames began to travel upwards. The flames of the wildfire crawled up the trees and into the sky, leaving ashes and blackened grass and trees in its wake. Harley lowered the force field when she felt it was safe, and everyone watched with gobsmacked expressions as Sky continued to guide the wildfire up. The wildfire cast a glow over the forest as it swirled above them.

Then, the flames shot down and stopped between Sky's hands. The flames curled and swirled and compacted until Sky had a bright ball of fire floating between her palms. She held onto it for a moment, and then she shot the fireball into the air. The fireball made a whistling sound as it went up, and then exploded into a round of fireworks. The wildfire was completely extinguished, now firing off safely high above the trees.

"That was incredible." Finn said.

"Amazing." Katherine agreed.

"I didn't know she could do that." Sparky gawked.

Harley stared at Sky, the raven-haired girl's face illuminated by the glow of the fireworks. "She really is very powerful, isn't she?"

Blade grinned proudly. "Yeah. She's pretty powerful."

Sky turned to her friends and smiled. "Come on. Grandpa's probably worried sick."

* * *

 **A/N: Geez, I hope that made sense and was good. Only one more chapter to go!**

 **I imagined Sky extinguishing the wildfire as kind of like Elsa dispelling the eternal winter in** _ **Frozen.**_

 **If you want to see more of your favorite** _ **Cars**_ **and** _ **Planes**_ **characters as humans, you ought to check out author and artist Aileen Roseven, who wrote a series of stories that started with "The Remembered." The stories are awesome, and the artwork can be found on Deviantart. Check out that awesomeness!**


	17. The Strong Souls

**Chapter Seventeen – The Strong Souls**

Nick and Leland hid in the trees while everyone else returned to Nathan's tribe. Nathan and most of the townsfolk waited for them, and Nathan pulled Sky into a tight hug.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Nathan scolded his granddaughter.

"Sorry." Sky said. "But you're not going to believe what happened out there!"

"Besides the wildfire?" Nathan scoffed. "After we lost track of Simon, we had to run out of the forest before the fire could catch us."

"Then we saw that fireball in the sky! It was so cool!" one of the psyche humans behind Nathan said.

"Also, Miss Katherine, we found your wheelchair." A vehicle said. "It looks like someone smashed it to bits with a baseball bat."

"Figures. But I can get a new one." Katherine assured.

"We've got you a temporarily replacement right here!" another psyche human came up with an old wheelchair, helping Katherine ease herself into it.

"What happened to Simon?" Nathan asked. "Did you find him?"

"The whole thing was a trap set up by Simon!" Sparky announced.

"It's true." Katherine said. "Simon could control liquids with his powers, and he used those powers to lift me and Sparky and carry us into the forest."

"He tried to kill us." Sky said. "He caused that fire."

Nathan looked both shocked and saddened. He sighed. "It's late. We should get to bed, and we'll talk more in the morning."

Nobody argued with that. It had been a tiring evening. But Sky did lead Nathan out to the forest to show him Nick and Leland. Nathan was too tired to fully process it, so he simply led the young men to his house where they could hide. He also placed Simon's body in a safe place to await burial.

The next day, Nathan sat with everyone and heard the whole story from start to finish. He was saddened to hear of Simon's actions, and then astonished when Sky described their interactions with Seishin. Nathan promised to keep that meeting a secret. When the townsfolk gathered for a meeting, Nathan told them only of Simon's plot to kill Sky and the visitors. Nathan claimed it was fear of outsiders that caused Simon to do it. Though everyone was ashamed of Simon's actions, they were saddened by his death and agreed he should be buried and receive a proper funeral.

The entire day, Sky, Harley, Katherine, and their friends spent resting after such an ordeal. Nick and Leland spent time with Katherine and Harley to learn how to adjust to their new human forms. Blade and Finn stood by for moral support, and to chuckle at their friends' clumsiness. Sparky called Skipper and finally confessed everything that happened. He received quite an earful from the concerned Corsair. Skipper made Sparky promise that Sky would come home to Propwash Junction for a few days to recuperate and assure Skipper she was okay.

Sky and Nathan oversaw Simon's funeral arrangements. They arranged for his burial to be within the next couple days, and Simon's few friends would come to speak kind words about him. As Sky discovered, Simon wasn't necessarily liked by many people in town.

"Did Simon ever find his Soul Connect Partner?" Sky asked Nathan as they journeyed home.

"No." Nathan said. "Then again, Simon never went searching for his Soul Connect Partner."

"Did he think his Partner would just appear?" Sky asked.

"Nope. Simon believed he didn't need a Soul Connection." Nathan explained. "He thought he could be strong without it. Yes, he discovered his power of controlling liquids without his Partner. But Simon's powers have always been weak. Limited to abilities akin to telekinesis."

Sky looked down sadly. "That's terrible. To leave his Partner hanging like that."

"Well, his Partner never knew about him, either. Nobody knows who Simon's Partner could be." Nathan said. "Honestly, perhaps that would-be Partner's life is better without Simon's poor, damaged soul."

"Does Simon have any family?" Sky asked.

"Only a sister in Louisiana." Nathan said. "Doesn't visit very often. She's had a rough life, too, but tries to keep her hopes up. I'll have to tell her about Simon's death."

Sky remembered Seishin's curse. The thief who stole the amulet and his children would live miserable lives until the amulet was returned. Now that Seishin had the amulet again, the curse should be broken. _I hope Simon's sister will have better luck, and a better life, now that the amulet is back with Seishin._ Sky thought.

Nathan and Sky returned to the house just in time to see Nick and Leland tumble down the stairs and land in a heap on the floor. "Are you two all right?" Nathan asked worriedly.

"I landed on my tailbone!" Nick laughed. "I have a tailbone to land on!"

"That's really no reason to celebrate." Leland rubbed his head. He had bonked it on the railing on his way down.

"We've had mixed results, so far." Blade chuckled.

"Maybe we should teach them how to wash up for lunch." Katherine suggested.

"I'll go pull out some stuff for sandwiches." Nathan offered.

"I'll help." Blade followed Nathan into the kitchen while Katherine guided Leland and Nick to the bathroom. The others followed, mostly to watch in amusement.

Blade helped Nathan gather ingredients for lunch. He made sure no one could hear him before looking to Nathan. "I've been wondering something, and maybe you can answer this for me."

"What is it?" Nathan asked.

"Raven has two Soul Connect Partners because she's a descendent of Seishin." Blade explained. "But now, I have two Partners, too: Raven and, now, Nick. Why is it I'm able to have two Soul Connections like Sky?"

"You have the soul for it." Nathan said. "Sky has a strong soul, too. She's strong enough to hold two Soul Connections equally. You're like that, too. The strength of your soul and the care you have for your friends allow you to create and keep those connections. It's almost like you're a psych-man yourself."

"I wouldn't go that far." Blade said. "I'm a firefighter. It's my job to protect people."

"You weren't always a firefighter." Nathan pointed out. "But you've always been protective, haven't you?"

Blade thought about it. "I guess so."

Nathan grinned to himself as he set the table. "You have a strong soul, Chief Ranger. It's battered and burned here and there, but its strength is resolute."

Blade wondered how Nathan could've known that. What was it about him that gave Nathan that idea? But, instead of asking, Blade realized some things may always be a mystery. Nathan did have a certain intuition about him. So, Blade just smiled and said, "Thanks."

* * *

Sky, Harley, Katherine, Finn, and Blade wandered around the town, chatting with the enthusiastic townsfolk who wanted to know more about their abilities and Connections. This was their last day in the town, after all. Now that the switching situation was resolved, Blade had to get back to Piston Peak for fire season. Sky had to get to Propwash Junction to assure Skipper and Dusty she was still alive, and then return to Piston Peak.

Nathan hosted them at his house for dinner, and Nick and Leland laughed about their misadventures learning to use their human bodies. It would take some time before they were fully accustomed to their new forms. Katherine insisted that she needed to take them shopping for new clothes, or else they'd wear the same outfits Seishin gave them for the rest of their lives.

The rest of their lives. Sky and Harley loved that thought. Here were Nick Lopez and Leland Turbo, ready for a fresh start. It warmed their hearts to know their mission was a success, and they brought their friends back. Finn and Blade looked like a couple of the happiest men in the world. Finn and Leland laughed about some of their mishaps in spy work. Nick and Blade went back and forth, describing the pranks they played on each other while on the _"CHoPs"_ set.

After dinner, the conversations moved into the living room. Harley and Sky were the last to clear their plates.

Harley looked up and out the window above the sink, and she gasped. "Sky, look!"

Sky followed her gaze, and she gasped happily. The girls slipped out the back door and ran out across the grass. Sky leaped into Max's arms while Harley hugged Doc.

"We're glad to see you safe." Doc said. "We had to split after the light appeared, but we came back when we heard you were okay."

"We were worried." Max tousled Sky's hair.

"I'm glad you two were there to help us." Sky said.

"Yeah, thanks for coming." Harley said. "We would've been toast without you."

"I doubt it." Max laughed.

"You two did some amazing things back there." Doc agreed. "What did you need us for?"

"Well, it was cool to see my 'royally ticked off' dad fighting a crazy guy." Harley laughed.

"I didn't know you knew how to fight, Max." Sky said.

"Really?" Max mused teasingly. "I could've sworn I mentioned something about being a black belt in tae kwon doe."

"No, you didn't say that at all." Sky giggled.

Max chuckled. "Well, when you knew me, I was much too old to be doing such a thing."

Sky laughed, hugging Max again. "I really miss you. Mayday misses you, too."

"Hey, you know I'm always there." Max said, returning the embrace. "I'm keeping an eye on Mayday, too."

"And Stanley and I are working together to keep you safe." Doc said. "Don't think I don't see the looks that Turbo fellow gives you."

"He gives me looks?" Harley asked innocently.

Doc rolled his eyes. "Smart-aleck."

"Hey Harley!" Katherine's voice called from the house. "Sky! Where'd you go?"

"Guess we better get going." Sky sighed.

Max gave her one last hug. "We'll see you around."

"Promise?" Harley asked, hugging Doc.

"Promise." Doc assured.

* * *

The next day, after a hearty breakfast, it was time to say goodbye. The townsfolk bid Sky and her friends farewell, and Nathan accompanied the group on their way to the airport in another nearby town.

"You can come back whenever you want." Nathan said once they reached the airport. "In fact, I hope you'll come visit more often, Sky."

"Absolutely." Sky agreed. She shared one more hug with Nathan before he hopped in a taxi and returned to his tribe.

"Siddeley will be here any moment now." Finn said. "How shall we split up?"

"Well, you and Leland should stay in Radiator Springs for a while." Harley suggested. "Take some time to recuperate. Leland can get used to his new human form, too. Katherine can help with that."

"I can also take that time to find out what I want to do with my life." Leland said. "I can't be a spy, but I want to do something like my old job. Those instincts are still alive."

"How about law enforcement?" Nick suggested.

"Yeah!" Harley agreed. "Sheriff can show you the ropes!"

Leland thought for a moment, and the nodded. "I think that could work!"

"And, Miss Riley, we'd be happy to give you and Sparky a ride back to Propwash Junction." Finn offered.

"That would be great. Thanks." Sky nodded.

"As for you, Lopez, you're coming to Piston Peak Air Attack with me." Blade said. "I think we can find a place on the team for you, if you'd like."

"That sounds awesome." Nick agreed. "Maybe Maru will let me work in the garage with him."

"Oh! Maybe you could be a medic!" Sparky suggested.

Nick hummed in thought. "Yeah. Is it hard?"

"Oh, not really." Sparky said, starting into a story about some of his work on the _Flysenhower._

Sky, Harley, and Katherine moved off to one side to say their goodbyes. "What an adventure this has been." Katherine chuckled.

"Yeah. I feel like I could write a book about all this." Harley agreed. "Although, I don't know a publisher who would accept it as nonfiction."

"I'll say." Sky laughed. "What a turn of events."

"So, are you satisfied, Skylar?" Katherine asked. "Do you have all the answers you need?"

"Yes. I do." Sky admitted. "And I feel like a whole new person."

"Well, it's the start of another adventure for our ragtag group of friends." Harley noted, looking to the boys as they laughed about one of Sparky's stories.

"Not friends." Sky said. "We're a family. We'll always be a family, connected by our powers and the experiences we've had together."

"I agree." Katherine nodded.

"Me too." Harley said. "I can't wait for Leland to start his new life. Nick looks excited, too."

Sky blushed. "Yes. It's going to be very fun working with him on the base."

"Just don't have too much fun." Harley snickered, elbowing her friend good-naturedly.

"You're one to talk." Katherine mused. "Let's not forget a certain former ghost who has feelings for you."

"Yeah, and I might have feelings for him as well." Harley said. "I don't know. We'll find out as time goes by."

"Do you think our lives will ever settle down?" Katherine wondered.

"I doubt so." Sky said.

"Maybe we won't have any major adventures like this one, but we've got a lot of possibilities ahead." Harley said.

Sky looked up. Not a cloud could be seen. She smiled broadly. "Let's go home."

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N: Gosh, I hope that ended well. I had a hard time finding the right wording without being corny.**

 **A special thanks to Livvy Leopard, for kicking my tail into gear so I could write this final installment! If I hadn't been reminded, I might've forgotten all about this story.**

 **Now, I do intend to put Harley into** _ **Cars 3**_ **, but that won't come for a while. I need to find out how I'm going to work it out. Until then, see ya!**


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